A Touch of Emotion
by angelofvenus-l3
Summary: Here it is!Finally an update!A Trowa/Mina fic.Enjoy
1. Default Chapter

************************* A TOUCH OF EMOTION 

By : Angel of Venus_l3

*************************

** Chapter 1**

"I'm never too far away…If we are reborn, I will find you and protect you again, princess… Aishiteru…zutto…I promise…"

The voice echoed in the grayish fog but she couldn't find anyone to whom the voice might belong. As soon as the voice faded, a figure began to form in front of her. The figure was clouded with thick fog but she could tell from the well built form that it was a man. She tried to make out his face but only managed to see his beautiful, forest green eyes. They were filled with emotions that seemed so familiar. What was that emotions? Love and happiness? Or pain and regrets? She tried to reach out to him, calling him as though he could hear her but he simply drifted away, slowly fading from her view and vanished into thin air. 

Minako Aino woke up in a start. She was almost gasping for breath and her heart raced as she recalled back her dream. That voice…where have I heard it before? she wondered. And those eyes…the emerald green eyes were so familiar and yet she didn't have any recollection of seeing anyone with those pair of eyes or recognized that deep, fearless voice. His words sounded sincere and Minako found them very soothing. 

"Mina?" 

Minako almost gasped out loud but seeing it was only her cat guardian, Artemis, she instantly calmed down. Artemis hopped on the bed and sat on her lap. 

"Are you okay?" he inquired softly. Minako smiled and pulled him closer to her.

"Yes," she murmured, stroking his fur gently. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"Bad dream?" he prompted in concern. 

Minako hesitated. It wasn't exactly a bad dream since she found his promise appealing but it was sure confusing. However, it could just be another meaningless dream which she often had. The Senshi hadn't had any past life dreams in years ever since they had already found out things that they were suppose to know, such as about the war between Earth and the moon and other miscellaneous facts regarding their past loves. It would seem impossible if she started having dreams regarding her past life now….would it? 

Minako's thoughts were broken as she felt Artemis's paw on her hand. "Mina, you haven't answer me for the past one minute," Artemis said, half jokingly. 

"What's the matter? Did you have a nightmare?" Minako giggled lightly and pecked his head. 

"Not really," she answered him with a smile. "Just another weird dream, I guess. No big deal."

Trowa Barton sighed as he peered out into the window and gaze at the beautiful sunrise. Streaks of yellow and orange filled the sky and birds were chirping merrily nearby. It's been awhile since he had enjoyed such a beautiful view. He didn't have any time to see the sunset or the sunrise during the war as his time was always occupied with battles and undercover missions.

The war…the sound of it almost made him shudder. He contemplated his thoughts with mix emotions. So many painful memories and yet there were still those precious times that he treasured. Especially those time which he'd spent with the other pilots. He had learnt a lot about trust and friendship ever since he had met them and never once regret that he had. They were now more like a family to him.

Since the war ended which was only a few weeks ago, Quatre had insisted that the five of them stayed at his new mansion on Earth. The rest agreed eventually since some of them had no where to go or any further plans what they were going to do now that the war was over. They tried to lead their life as normal as possible so they had agreed to go to school like any other teenage boys and get part-time jobs. Quatre was still maintaining his father's companies so he didn't need any extra job. Heero and Wufei were a full-time members of the Preventers Headquarter while the others were only part-time and Duo was still a full-time salvage dealer of used items. Trowa, too was still working at the circus but Catherine had insisted he take it as a part-time job, considering how he had school and another part-time job at the headquarter. The siblings had managed to convince their manager of Trowa's situation and came to the conclusion that Trowa will only work on weekend nights and certain weekdays only.

As soon as the sun had risen, Trowa grabbed his school books and sprinted downstairs. As usual, his friends weren't up yet considering they still had at least one hour before school starts. And there's approximately twenty more minutes before Duo began one of his morning wake up calls to either Wufei or Heero. Trowa quietly made himself a cup of coffee and took a sit at the table. He rarely had breakfast early in the morning unless it was at the café which his friends sometimes had to go to because of a certain pilot who had broke the stove.

Trowa stood up to put his empty mug in the sink until suddenly, he felt a jolt of electricity through his body. He gasped as his arms and legs froze. He barely realized that the mug he was holding fell on the floor and shattered into pieces. Suddenly, he felt darkness enveloped him and his eyes instantly squeezed shut. He drew in his breath in reflex to the sudden situation.

*Flashback*

Trowa saw a quick image of a girl sprawled lifelessly on the ground. Her clothes were soaked in blood and her pale skin was almost full with various wounds. A thin trail of blood from the side of her head made its way down her cheek and a small puddle of blood was forming underneath her body. Her long, blonde hair was slightly caked with mud and blood. He couldn't see her face clearly as it was dark but he knew she wasn't alive. The sudden realization felt so familiar to him and for a brief moment he felt a flicker of intense pain in his heart. But only for a brief moment. 

*End flashback*

The vision vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. Trowa opened his eyes and tried to focus. His breathing became faster as his heart pounded furiously in his chest. He had never experience anything like that before and that thought almost sent shivers down his spine. What was that all about? he wondered silently to himself as his heart quicken its pace. He didn't remember ever seeing that girl in his life, he was sure of it. So why does she seemed so familiar? another part of his mind protested. And the brief feelings of pain and regrets ….why does he felt that since he doesn't even know her? She had obviously died because of the war, even though he wasn't quite sure of the surrounding. But was he the caused of the war or her death? Is that why he felt guilty? Or has he been studying too hard for school?

Unanswered questions pushed their way into his mind as he tried to form a single possibility of the purpose of his vision or whatever it was he had just seen. However, his thoughts were broken when he heard a sudden crash which was later followed by a loud curse and snickers. 

"Maxwell!!!!!" 

Suddenly Duo came running in, snickering and teasing Wufei endlessly. Wufei stormed in the kitchen in his dripping wet pajama and started chasing Duo who was running around Trowa like he was shield. Trowa just stood still as he was still dazed from his previous experience so it took him awhile to focus on the present situation.

"Maxwell!! That's the third time this week!! I told you if you ever do this again, I swear I will…." Wufei's loud bellow was immediately cut off by the braided pilot himself who was still being chased by the Chinese man. 

"What? You'll cut my braid and shove it down my throat?" Duo challenged with a snicker. Wufei actually growled and he seemed so eager to make his threat real. 

However before he could go any further to complete his task, Quatre and Heero who was still in his robe suddenly entered the kitchen and exclaimed, "Stop it, both of you!!" 

At the sound of the 'Perfect Soldier's' irritated tone, the two boys instantly stopped their chase. Wufei was still glaring at Duo as the braided boy casually greeted Heero, "Hey, Hee-man, good morning! I didn't get a chance to wake you up today."

"Lucky you," Wufei muttered as he wiped his hair with a cloth. Heero scowled at Duo as he raked his disheveled hair and Quatre quickly intruded before Heero could reply, "Guys, let's just get ready for school, okay? We're going to be late if we're not out in half an hour. Right, Trowa? Trowa?"

Quatre frowned when Trowa didn't reply. He exchanged glances with his friends who looked puzzle as well. Trowa was still dazed and when Quatre tapped his shoulder lightly, the taller man almost gasped in surprise but still remained expressionless. 

"Trowa, are you okay?" Quatre inquired, concern written on his face.

"Y-yeah," Trowa managed a reply. "I'm okay…"

"What happened?" Wufei asked which sounded more like a demand. "Did you just black out or something?"

"No…" Trowa asked, almost in uncertainty himself. 

He then realized the shattered mug on the floor and quickly bent down to gather the broken pieces. He was still shocked at the sudden experience and tried to hide his trembling hands from his friends' view. 

"I'm sorry, the mug just slipped out of my hand," he mumbled but loud and clear enough for his friends to hear. "I guess I'm still…tired from our project last night." 

Duo slumped on the chair and frowned. "Geez, I thought I told you not to work that hard," he retorted. "After all, it's only a school project. One day your pressure will go up to your head and it looks to me, you're half way there." "Uh, Duo, those school projects will determine our grades this semester which we can't afford to fail because we hardly have any qualifications whatsoever to attend a good college," Quatre stated, briefly glancing at Duo before turning back to Trowa.

Trowa threw the broken pieces into the trashcan. He didn't want to start telling his friends about something that he wasn't sure of. To be exact, he figured it was none of their concern and he would rather settle his problem by himself, if that could be considered as one. 

"Trowa, maybe we shouldn't have let you work on that project…." Quatre said. 

"No, it's nothing. I just need a little rest, that's all." 

Trowa's answer seemed to satisfy his friends. He decided not think about his vision and assumed he was just dreaming. Maybe I'm really tired, he decided, trying to shove the alien event off his mind.

Setsuna watched as the senshi chatted excitedly in the café from the outside window. Usagi and Mamoru were sharing a banana split together, both were laughing as she got the whip cream on her nose, Rei was obviously criticizing Usagi while her boyfriend, Chad grinned at her. Ami and Makoto were giggling at the scene with Greg and Ken while Minako managed a small smile. Setsuna could sense Minako's discomfort of the whole situation as she was the only odd one out without a boyfriend. That was because she had a personal background history which separated her from the others.

Setsuna knew Minako was cursed to never find love in her life and sadly, she knew the curse would prevail. Somehow, she figured that Minako knew from the start that the curse would remain forever but she still went on for dates and had a couple of boyfriends herself, though it obviously didn't last. 

"How ironic," Setsuna remembered a time when Minako had said that. "Being the so-called Goddess of Love without being in love herself."

She could still remember how Minako had giggled at her own comment She took it quite well and didn't seem to care if she would die without feeling truly loved by anyone but Setsuna and the others knew Minako was still trying to accept the truth. Even though it had been almost four years since she was cursed by Ace, her former love who was also her enemy. 

With a sigh, Setsuna slipped on her red shades and walked aimlessly along the sidewalk, her thoughts drifting towards the recent problem she had received. Lately, she felt a faint disturbance in the portal of time and knew that someone was tampering with it. However her attempts to resolve the problem were in vain as the source of energy was too faint to detect. All she could do now was monitored the other dimensions and portals so that no enemy would try to sneak in. She couldn't tell the Senshi about the current situation since she wasn't really sure how serious the problem was. But if the problem persisted, she knew she had to take some drastic actions that would eventually change a few things especially Minako's destiny.

Setsuna understood the consequences of breaking the rules but to ease Minako's pain and to guarantee that the peace would remain, she might need some help from someone in another world, although her next course of actions might changed the destinies of those two strangers, not to mention the danger she might put him in.

The Goddess of Love's past had always been a mystery to the blonde girl herself, even though she was the first one among the Senshi to get their memories back. However, weeks ago, Setsuna could sense Minako's past memories from her home planet reflecting in her dreams. Immediately Setsuna knew that no matter what happened, Minako's destiny would change anytime soon, though the outcome of the whole situation remained unknown, even to the Guardian of Time herself. But if given enough time and patience, Minako's curse would probably be broken provided they get their memories back before the enemy approached them in their own world. 

Suddenly, Setsuna felt something unusual triggered her mind. She stopped her tracks and used her inner powers to focus on the faint energy. Her eyes widen in surprise and almost gasped as the realization hit her. She didn't know whether to dread the moment or felt relief for she didn't expect it to happen so soon. Too soon.

"He's awakening…" she murmured softly to herself.

He didn't know where he was or how did he get there but the ghastly scene ahead of him was all too familiar. He had been in the battlefield since forever and had seen various types of destructions caused by wars and this was obviously one of them. He couldn't tell where he was but he had faced these kind of situations numerous times, no matter where the places were. 

The strong combination scent of blood and corpses stung his nostrils and he almost gagged. He had always hated war and these scene had explained all the possible reasons that he could and could not think of. Lifeless bodies of men, women and even children sprawled on the ground, some even laid in heaps. Their last moment of breath was written on their face, eyes wide open in fear and their mouth hung open in a silent scream for help or anguish. Their faces were contorted in pain and he had to look away. The place was half destroyed and everything was in complete mess. Curtains were torn, glasses were shattered, furniture was broken and he could even make out a large amount of blood splattered on the ground and some even on the walls and ceilings.

He wanted so much to leave this horrible place but his body refused to act on his will. Suddenly, he felt himself rushing forward. He was shocked for he had no control against his own body. From a distance, he could hear faint clangs of swords hitting against one another and excited cries breaking the silence of the night. The area grew darker as he made his way towards the unknown destination which his body seemed to know.

He tried to stop but his efforts were in vain. It felt as though something was forcing him to move and he couldn't do anything to fight it. Finally when he reached a certain room which he figured was also half destroyed, his body froze in spot. Ahead of him was a battle between two people which one of them he felt a sudden connection to. The room was dark and he could hardly see what was going on but somehow, he could tell what was happening. The clangs between the two swords had finally stopped and he could hear faint whispers from the two warriors. It was later followed by uncontrollable sobs. Judging from the feminine voice, he figured that one of them was a woman, even though he couldn't see the warriors. After a few minutes, the sobbing stopped and silence once again passed by.

He squinted his eyes, trying to get a better focus but the only thing he could make out was something gleaming in the darkness and it was later followed by cries of pain. The realization had instantly hit him and his heart began to race. The next thing he knew, he found himself running towards the unknown figure in the distance. He almost stumbled on a certain large object which he assumed was a broken chair but he just kept on going. 

Before long, he felt himself cradling a fallen angel in his arms. From the moonlight which filtered through the shattered window, he could slightly make out her face. Despite the situation, he was amazed at her beauty which seemed to radiate even in the darkness. Her long blonde hair was soft and lifeless while her delicate skin was filled with battle wounds. Blood soaked her uniform and tiny drops of blood stained her cheek. As soon as he gaze at her, he was immediately flooded with emotions which were alien to him. Each feelings were intense than the other and his confusion was immediately overcome with pain and sorrow. Who could have done this to her? he wondered silently to himself, feeling burning anger rising inside but it was instantly replaced with guilt, despite his confusion towards the whole situation

His heart pounded furiously in his chest as he felt a sudden recognition towards her. He knew he had seen her before but he couldn't recall where or when. The girl slowly opened her eyes and he could tell that she was trying to bear the pain. When she tried to give him a smile, he felt his heart ached and his gaze softened. He didn't know why but he felt emotions building inside of him which threatened to burst if he continued to gaze at her. 

Her blue eyes were dull and he could feel her pain just by looking in them. Somehow, he could tell those blue eyes were a beautiful shade of blue and used to sparkle with life. He tried to look away for it was hurting him deeply but he couldn't even blink, much less move. Seeing her face twisted in pain hurt him even deeper and he would do anything to ease her misery. However, when her breath began to slow, he knew she couldn't be saved. 

Without even realizing it, he leaned forward and pressed his lips on hers. Surprisingly, he didn't seem at all shock at that moment, it was as though he knew that would happen. He could taste her blood in his mouth and felt his body pressing against hers. The sensation was all too familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time. Somewhere during the kiss, he felt her life slipping away and when he pulled back, she had her eyes closed and immediately hit with realization that she was gone. 

For a moment there, he thought his heart had stopped beating and he just stared at her lifeless body in horror and shock. He didn't realize he was crying until he saw his warm tears fell on the girl's cheek, mixing with her blood. He was overwhelmed with pain, regrets and even fear, the mix feelings were so intense that it hurts. He suddenly let out a cry of rage as more tears streamed down his cheeks. The moment seemed to last for eternity and it took him quite awhile to stop crying over the girl. 

"Princess…" he heard himself said, knowing well enough that he wasn't in control. "If we are reborn, I will find you and protect you again…princess. I promise…." He paused to plant a kiss on her forehead. "Aishiteru…zutto…"

Trowa woke up in a jerk and abruptly sat up. He felt his nightshirt stuck to his damp skin and he felt warm in spite of the chilly air. His heart was still racing in his chest. It took him a while to calm himself and another moment to recall back his dream. The dream seemed so vivid and familiar yet he didn't remember that event ever occurred before. 

Sighing, he wiped his sweat from his neck and laid back on the bed. The girl in his vision earlier this morning was the same girl in his dream, he suddenly realized in shock. He tried to push her out off his mind but failing miserably at it as he was swarmed by questions of his current experiences on that very day. 

The intense pain which he had felt earlier tugged his heart. He had never been so close to a girl before, let alone to kiss her and those words he said….Did I really said that? he wondered. He knew he wasn't in control of himself that time but those words felt so…right at that moment and surprisingly, he had expected those words to come out. Just like the kiss. 'If we are reborn again, I will find you and protect you again, princess…I promise…aishiteru…zutto…' the same sentence echoed in his mind over and over again but the words still doesn't make any sense to him. Sighing, he decided not to think of it anymore. 

"It's just a dream, either that or my assignments has really gone up to my head…" he muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes. 

Trowa tried to get back to sleep but his eyes were wide awake. He tossed and turned for almost an hour but sleep still hadn't claim him. Glancing at the alarm clock on his nightstand, he let out a groan as it was 5 o'clock in the morning and he was wide awake. He still had school the next day and he really need the rest since the pilots had been up the whole night last night at the headquarter, completing their back-logged reports and missions. 

Figuring there was no point in his attempts to get back to sleep, he got up from bed and decided to revise back his studies which was actually pointless since he failed to concentrate when his mind kept drifting towards the vivid image of the girl to whom he called 'princess'. 

Author's note: Thank you so much for those of you who had read, reviewed and even loved my story. I'm so sorry for some of you who expected this to be a Mina/Heero fic but it seems to me that there are a lot of those Mina/Quatre fics, Mina/Heero, Mina/Duo but seldom Mina/Trowa fic and so, I came up with this. If there's any suggestions, comments or even flames, please e-mail me at angelofvenus_l3@yahoo.com. Oh, yeah, and don't forget to review. I would really appreciate it. Thank you.


	2. chapter two

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A TOUCH OF EMOTION 

***********************************

By: Angel of Venus_l3

** CHAPTER 2**

"Alright, Mina," Perry exclaimed as soon as the bright flashes of the camera ended. "That's it, you're done! You did a marvelous job, sweetheart." 

Minako managed a short nod at him, since her smile was already plastered on her face and gratefully got out of the set. She had to grab almost the entire hem of her evening gown just so she wouldn't trip on her 'journey' to her dressing room. 

"I'll see you Monday, sweetie," Perry called out to her. 

She spun around and thanked him before heading straight to her room. She was glad the session was over. She had been smiling for three hours almost non-stop and her face was completely numb from smiling too much.

After her parents' death several years ago, she had been living on her own in the apartment which she inherited from her parents and had worked really hard to support her necessary expenses, at the same time, trying to work on her dream of becoming an idol. However with all the school assignments and volleyball practices, she could only managed to work part time for her modeling career. It was a lot of hard work and she had to struggle to keep up with her studies. Her friends had been really supportive and she was grateful that they had stuck by her when she needed them the most. She didn't have any other relative to turn to when she needed help.

As Minako walked aimlessly along the sidewalk, her mind slowly drifted to her past memories. She remembered all the battles she had fought , with and without her friends. She remembered how much she had gone through to protect her princess. After all, it was her duty as the leader of the Senshi. She would even sacrifice herself if it was necessary to keep her princess and friends from harm. Indeed, it was worth the effort. Both her friends and her shared a special bond that no one could break. They had their good times and bad times together, they shared everything together. Even painful memories. 

However, even after all this years, she couldn't bring herself to talk to them about her past, afraid that she might feel the intense pain as she had felt back then. Minako always tried to avoid that particular topic, every time changing the subject once it was brought up. It didn't take her friends long to notice this but they neither said anything, understanding full well of the reason. Years ago, the senshi had been having recurring dreams about their past life and their love one in that particular period of time but among the five of them, Minako was the first one to regain her memories. That was how she had found out about her past relationship with one of Mamoru's generals, Kunzite who also happened to be her enemy in this lifetime. 

Minako chuckled bitterly at that thought. In all her life, the past and the present, she had fallen in love with two guys, Kunzite in the past and Ace in the present. These men had fell in love with her as well and yet, both of them were so different than one another. Ace was gentle and warm while Kunzite was strict and cold. They were a total opposite to one another and yet, she couldn't believe she had shared her love with them. Sadly, despite the differences, they had only one thing in common. Both of them worked for the Negaverse.

"I'll tell you your final love fortune…" Minako recalled back those words, those exact bitter words said by Ace, her 'mystical' lover in the past as he had claimed. The Ace of Heart, the last card that Ace had given her flashed into her mind. However, it was torn in the middle, signifying a symbol of a broken heart.

"Your love will be hopeless for all eternity…" At that point, she was too shock to counter him and he continued, taunting her, "What's the matter? You should look happier. Now you don't have to make the ultimate choice between love or duty. I'm only helping you…protecting you, even, from feeling the pain that lovers share…like what we're feeling now…Your fate is to continue fighting, you can't change that…" 

Those exact words were said at the brink of his death. That was the first time she had experienced the terrible heartbreak which unfortunately, was only the beginning of her loss. 

Minako just couldn't understand how could a curse be considered as a protection as he had claimed. Ever since then, she had been experiencing heartaches continuously and the bitter pain that came along with it was always stronger than the other, exposing her to sorrows and a new feeling of loneliness. She had tried to move on like everyone had told her to but was miserably unsuccessful at it for the love she had for Ace was still there, no matter what he had done, no matter how much she wanted to banish the once beautiful feeling from her life. It took her awhile to get over his death and just when she thought she had, the memories of her past life with Kunzite hit her like a sharp dagger, ripping away her the remaining ounce of strength she had and plunging her deeper into the pit of darkness that she thought she wouldn't have to endure. 

Minako often wondered which was worst, to have founded out about her past after Kunzite was killed by her or to have founded out during the battle but still couldn't do anything to prevent his death. Every time when the Senshi were forced to fight against the generals, Minako had to restrain herself from blurting out the bitter truth and crying at the spot. When she first regained her memory, she had been in shock for days. Her friends were still oblivious to her sudden discovery and she planned to keep it that way. She couldn't tell them about her memories, not when she knew how badly this might affect their battles against the generals which they couldn't afford to lose. Her friends don't deserve to feel the pain as she had just yet and she certainly didn't have the right to jeopardize their life.

Despite her knowledge of the past, there was nothing she could do to prevent the battles and thus, resulted to Kunzite's death. Her friends were overjoyed at their victory and Minako had the urge to scream at them in anger for their ignorant but managed to hold herself back from doing so. After that very day of his death, she had cried herself to sleep almost every night and had to continue her false cheerfulness every morning, smiling her usual charm that portrayed her bubbly personality. But for every smile that was displayed, hidden tears were always shed deep inside her heart.

A few months later only then the Senshi founded out about their past. All of them were in shock except for Minako whose only respond was a simple shrug. She was still hurt and the sadness still lingered among the Senshi of their past loves but it sure didn't take them long to overcome the pain. Sometimes she even wondered, was this the price for being a senshi, to protect the princess with all her heart without a single care of her own happiness? It sounded awfully cruel of her to think something as such but there were times when the extent of her loss and miseries had hit her rock bottom that she just couldn't help it. In the past, she had to struggle to maintain her relationship with Kunzite at a steady level but somehow, their duties to protect the prince and princess had always got in the way of their relationship. Even so, she had never regretted standing by her princess's side. It was her duty that she had vowed to keep for eternity. Apparently Kunzite had also thought of the same thing of his prince and that was what drove them together in the first place. Sadly, that was what drove them apart as well. 

"It's not fair," Minako muttered under her breath, kicking a stone at the curb. 

Maybe her friends were lucky to have founded out after the generals' death, she decided. Maybe if she hadn't found out about her past life before Kunzite's death, she wouldn't be in so much pain as she had back then. It took her a lot of effort to get over him but even so, the memories still ached her and she had slowly learnt to accept Ace's curse. Not that she had much of a choice. As much as she hate to admit it, she was even more sensitive and fragile than all her friends put together and she certainly wouldn't want to give anyone especially her friends the impression of how weak she was. After all, she had a reputation as the leader of the Senshi to keep. 

Minako's previous thoughts were broken when she felt a strong energy close by. The sudden jolt prompted her to stop and spin around, searching for the source of energy but there was no one to be seen. The empty sidewalk suddenly seemed creepier and somewhat darker. The silence of the atmosphere and the gusting wind that blew only added more to her discomfort. Minako's heart pounded in her chest and her eyes darted from one corner to another, trying to determine if she was being watched or if it was part of her wild imagination. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was nearby, someone with high energy that was close enough to be dangerous. No one was around, she noted as she tried to calm her pounding heart. "Get a grip," Minako muttered to herself, exhaling her breath. "I'm just tired from work, that's all…" 

Minako then proceed to head back home when a blur of figure suddenly leapt out from a nearby tree and landed sharply behind her. Upon the sudden sound of thudding footstep on the pavement, Minako gasped in surprise and was about to turn until she felt her hands being grabbed and held tightly at her back. 

"L-let me go!!" she cried out, struggling to get out of the firm grips which was threatening to cut off her blood circulation. 

She tried to turn so that she could meet her attacker's face but before she could do so, her attacker leaned forward and whispered almost menacingly in her ear, "Be still, Princess of Venus, for I hate to have to force you to." The deep, rough voice had obviously came from a man. His voice was filled with contempt, sending chills down her spine. Upon hearing the threat, Minako's body went limp, fearing the outcome of the situation if she did not follow his order. Fear gripped her throat, unable her to voice out her protest or transform but she decided to remain as calm as possible. When dealing with a situation as such, it was always best to remain calm, no matter how dangerous the situation might seem. While her mind worked out some possible escape routes, she had wondered how did he knew she was a Venusian princess in the past and that question somehow worried her even more. 

Minako noticed the man remained silent, as though waiting for something. She could feel his gaze on her, examining her. She wanted to turn, to see his face but her fear held her back. Taking a deep breath and trying her best to calm herself, she spoke up with slight tremble in her tone, "Who are you and what do you want from me?" 

The man however ignored her question and proceed with his own but in a gentler tone, "Have you remember, princess? Have you remember about your past?" Minako was shocked upon the sudden question as the man reluctantly continued, "Have you….have you remember him?"

The word 'him' somehow jolted her into another thought and she felt a brief rush of memories she had with her past love back then, bringing out her sadness but she knew this wasn't the time to reminisce.

"Well, have you?" the man demanded impatiently when Minako didn't answer. His grips on her hand tightened and Minako gasped at the pain.

"O-of course I remember Kunzite," she cried out. Her mind was reeling with confusion and fear.

"Kunzite? So he is who you have remembered?" he inquired in puzzle and a little hint of disgust.

"Yes," Minako cried out breathlessly. 

She could have sworn he had cut her blood circulation for it was hurting her terribly. The man loosened his grips but were still equally firm and replied back, almost chuckling, "Then I take it you do not remember. Very well then." 

Surprised, Minako, unable to hold back her curiosity, exclaimed, "What?! What do you mean? What are you talking about?" 

She began to struggle wildly, trying to get out of his grips but he was too strong for her. Her arms were already painful from his grips which obviously had weaken her struggle. He didn't seem at all angry with her as he watched her struggling until she had used up all of her strength. 

Before she realized it, she felt his finger pressed firmly on her temple and Minako suddenly felt a sudden jolt of pain shot through her head continuously like a wave. Eyes widen in shock, she let out a high pitched scream and tried to struggle but the intense pain throbbing in her head prevented her from any further movements to escape. The pain was splitting her apart, she realized in fear. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the pain but it remained throbbing in her head. Her mind raced wildly as she tried to think of some ways to escape or call for help but there was no one in sight and she refused to risk other people's life in this situation. However, she wasn't able to think far for the pain had now completely dominated her mind, penetrating her soul. 

Minako thought she would die until the pain slowly subsided. She felt the man's grips loosen and she collapsed on the ground as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Her body felt extremely exhausted and her head was still aching. Warm blood trickled from where his finger had been and a few drops spattered on the ground. Minako's vision slowly began to blur and before long, she passed out. 

The man slowly knelt on the ground and brought out a hand to gently stroke her cheek. He let out a cruel grin and murmured softly, "Don't worry, my princess, you won't remember anything about what's left of your past, especially him. I will see you again when the time comes…" 

As soon as Minako fell unconscious, she was consumed by darkness. The hollow and empty feelings were overwhelming and she could feel the impact of the emptiness engulfing her heart, almost suffocating her. There was no light to guide her anywhere and her body was frozen in place, held by fear. The intense silence was simply mocking her and she had the sudden urge to scream, desperate for something, anything to indicate another presence or any guide for her to leave the place. She had never felt so empty, so lonely…

Suddenly, Minako could make out a stream of bright light forming in a distance. Without a second thought, she began running towards it. She didn't know why but her heart was immediately filled with hope. A figure suddenly began to form across the brightness in the distance. Immediately, she knew it was him, the man who had haunted her in her previous dream. Somehow instead of puzzle or fear, she felt relieved to see him, as though his presence was able to save her from the hollow emptiness. Desperately, she hurried towards him, not caring whether there was danger lurking behind the shadows nor what the consequences were.

She slowed her pace as she was inches away from him. He had his back to her so his face wasn't visible but Minako could make out the chest nut brown hair and his medium built form. She hesitantly held out a trembling hand, wanting to touch him, needed to know if he was real and solid but as soon as her finger made slight contact with his shoulder, a blinding pain suddenly shot through her.

Instantly, she let out a shrill scream and staggered back. The pain throbbed intensely in her head, almost piercing her own soul. She screamed and screamed until her voice was hoarse. The intense feeling was suffocating her with overwhelming fear that seemed to take even her breath away, prompting her to gasp heavily for air. Fear and pain bled into one as they continued to forcefully throbbed in her head and all she could think now was how unbearable the pain was.

"Minako, Minako!!" a voice called out, echoing in the darkness. "Minako, please!!" 

Upon the sudden call, Minako suddenly woke up, breathing heavily as her heart thudded furiously in her ribcage. She abruptly sat up and frantically glanced around, feeling a surge of relief that the darkness and bitter feelings had gone. Bright lights filtered the room she was in and the air felt so warm. Her friends were surrounding her, all of their faces showed sign of concern and worry but she barely acknowledged their presence. Her breath quicken as she felt a sob wracked her throat. The pain had subsided but her fear remained. She let her tears streamed down her cheeks and began to sob uncontrollably. Why was this happening to me? she wondered fearfully. Why am I facing all these terrible things?

She felt a pair of hands wrapped around her shoulders. Her best friend, Usagi, gently pulled her into a hug. 

"It's okay, Mina…everything's okay." Minako could only shook her head as she buried her face on Usagi's shoulder, finally letting her tears flowed freely after all these years.

After dinner, Trowa had selflessly offered his services to wash the dishes, wanting to show Quatre his appreciation for kindly serving him and the others dinner, even though it was only their usual take-out meal. 

That and the fact that he and Heero were getting rather sick of putting up with Wufei and Duo's so-called argument which had broken out in the middle of their weekly chores of washing and wiping the dishes. To be exact, it was actually a one sided argument since Duo seemed to be enjoying himself seeing how angry he had made Wufei. It was a good thing Quatre had left the dinner table early to start working on his work papers, Trowa thought as he watched Duo and Wufei's reruns of their childish games. 

It seemed to be quite an extremely annoying habit of Duo to start splashing water at the irritated Chinese pilot who, as usual, had earlier complaint of the injustice of men doing household chores which was, he had claimed, a woman's job. Of course Duo's previously 'assault' on Wufei had resulted into a water-splashing game and several plates and cups flying around the kitchen, almost hitting the other two pilots who had even stood at a safe distance from their two friends. 

Trowa figured Quatre either really hadn't heard it or pretended not to since the study room was only a door away. Nowadays the blonde boy would try to avoid from getting involved in one of Duo's mess rather than trying to resolve the troubling matters between him and Wufei. After his last attempt to pacify the two pilots, he was dragged into their 'retaliations' which ended up with a lot of his priceless China plates and antics shattered. Of course, that was barely nothing if compared to other various 'memorable' events which would normally occurred almost every month.

Heero and Trowa had managed to pry them off from each other's throats but not before getting themselves slightly wet in the process. Despite the continuous death threats and their soaking wet form, Duo was laughing happily and Wufei didn't seem as mad as before. He had even smirked at Duo as he wiped himself with the dishtowel. Trowa and Heero could only managed a simple glare at Duo for all the extra mess he created but Duo's only respond was a simple shrug and a wide grin. 

He recalled back the previous months when Quatre was so eager for the five of them to stay together, hoping to maintain their friendship. The war had finally ended and there was nothing much for them to do considering the jobs they were best at were no longer in need. All of them, except for Quatre of course, were reluctant to move in together. Despite the previous battles where they had worked together, they hardly knew anything about each other's life. Some of them weren't even that thrill to be working together in the first place, thinking that it was best if they worked alone. 

Wufei and Duo hadn't been in good terms, neither did the rest with one another but after awhile of living under the same roof, they had began to develop a friendship that was truly based on mutual understanding that only the five of them shared. Duo's annoying habits had always led them into several arguments but nevertheless, led them closer to each other, indulging them into childish activities that none of them were given a chance to experience during their childhoods. In spite of the death threats and 'retaliations', they had actually cherished those precious fun times they had together, reminding them that they were merely teenagers and no longer soldiers in the battlefields. And for once, they felt like normal teenage boys.

"I don't think his last water fight has been this serious before," Trowa muttered as he set the last clean plate in the cabinet. 

Heero was wiping his hands with a solemn look on his face, examining his hands for any cuts or scrapes. Obviously he wasn't thrill of having to clear the broken pieces of plates and cups and wiping the wet marble floor by himself. He would much rather washed the dishes and he would have if Trowa hadn't beat him to it. The Heavyarms pilot had insisted earlier that Wufei and Duo leaved the kitchen to clean themselves up before they resume back to their childish games. Wufei and Duo didn't make any protest as they trudged back to their rooms. 

"I have to agree on that," Heero said, tossing the dishtowel on the table. "His last water fight hadn't involve any flying saucers or any other kinds of utensils. Honestly, I'm always amaze by his abilities to create various forms of irritation to annoy us."

Trowa chuckled at that statement as he leaned against the countertop. "It's not a surprise," he stated. "He is Duo, after all." 

Suddenly, rapid footsteps echoed in the tile floors and before long, three of their comrades entered the kitchen. Duo's expression was surprisingly grim, contrasting his usual carefree and bubbly attitude. His shirt was changed into a dry one, though his hair was clearly damp from his previous fun. Immediately, Trowa knew something was up and apparently, he wasn't the only one who thought so, too. Quatre seemed a little puzzle but he was silent, well aware that this was very unlikely of Duo. Wufei, now in a different and dry shirt, had grudgingly took a sit at the table, still wiping his hair with a towel. 

"Maxwell, this better be good," he muttered with a scowl. "This is rather important," Duo said, almost irritated. "I've just received an e-mail." 

Taking a deep breath, Duo told them solemnly, "We have a mission." 

From the sound of his serious tone, this mission didn't sound like the normal missions they were given from the HQ. Normally they would have been contacted personally but through e-mail was rather seldom, which indicated something was definitely not right. What's going on now? Trowa wondered fearfully. Is there a new threat? Another war? Battles?

"We have to…" Duo took in a deep breath and exclaimed in a sudden burst of excitement that startled the pilots, "CELEBRATE THE UPCOMING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS BY PARTYING THE WHOLE NIGHT, YEAH BABY!!!"

He then burst out laughing, leaving his friends dumbfounded with a mix of shock and anger. "Y-you should have seen the look on your faces!" Duo cried between chuckles. "It's priceless! And I thought you guys wouldn't fell for it! Oh, by the way, we're having a party tomorrow so we have to go shopping for party items. We need a large amount of food, fire crackers, water balloons, water guns…" He continued the list of things he needed, oblivious to the dangerous situation he had voluntarily put himself in.

Anger flared among the pilots while the kind and well mannered Quatre only frowned in disapproval. Heero was clenching his hands in tight fists as he mentally did a counting to ten, a method in which he had learnt that was believed to be able to ease the anger, though right now the method seemed rather ineffective. Trowa was ready to take the braided boy out until he saw a quick blur of movement flew past him, headed straight to Duo's direction. 

Wufei's damp towel had instantly hit Duo on his face, shutting up the braided boy instantly as he sputtered upon the sharp contact. The others immediately separated without further words.


	3. chapter three

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**A TOUCH OF EMOTION**

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By : Angel of Venus_l3

**CHAPTER THREE**

That night, Trowa could hardly sleep. He tossed and turned in his bed for hours but could barely keep his eyes shut. The odd vision he had experienced a few weeks ago and the same dreams that he had been having since then suddenly played in his mind like an unending waltz despite his attempts to ignore them. He was now convinced that the dreams were really trying to tell him something and that vision was obviously part of the mystery he had to solve. 

After his previous dream and the so-called vision several weeks ago, Trowa kept having the same recurring dreams of the young 'princess' almost every night. It didn't take him long to memorize every single details of her feature clearly. Each night the image of the beautiful angel grew vivid, the pain that was displayed in the depths of her blue eyes grew clearer and each time he dreamt of her, the intense pain in his heart increased upon seeing her suffer, her weak smile, upon seeing her died in his arms. Somehow, the sensations was all too familiar for him, he felt as though he had gone through that particular scene before but he couldn't remember how or when or even recall the time if they had even met.

At first he couldn't care less about the dreams but when strong, mix feelings began to emerge every time he dreamt of her, he was terribly disturbed by it. He had tried to focus intently on his work in an attempt to banish the painful feelings that always seemed to be lingering in his mind whenever he thought of the girl which was rather often. 

However, his attempts were in vain as she was always somewhere in the back of his mind. As much as Trowa hated to admit, he sometimes found himself picturing the girl's sparkling blue eyes, the ones that seemed so alive and cheerful instead of the dull and filled with pain like the ones he saw in his dreams, imagining her bright smile that could easily melt the coldest heart, her gentle and melodic voice that sounded so soothing to his ears. He couldn't understand why someone he had never met before had so much effect on him and thus, he couldn't help wondering if she was real. If her image itself alone was able to dominate half of his mind, he was almost afraid to think of what it would do to him if he met her in person. If such person actually even exist, of course.

Sighing, Trowa got out of the bed and slipped on his robe. He decided maybe a short walk would help him get some sleep. Quietly, he trotted along the hallway, letting his mind wandered. He could hear Duo's loud snoring through the door of his room which was situated not far away from his. Quatre and Wufei were most probably asleep, considering it was almost half past midnight and knowing Heero, he would still be at the HQ or completing some sort of mission as usual at this hour. Trowa walked aimlessly along the hall, letting his thoughts drifted towards the usual events at school until suddenly, he felt something pulling him. 

At first, he had dismissed the alien feeling, thinking it was merely a figment of his imagination but when the invincible force became intense, he could no longer deny it. The force didn't feel like a threat nor danger so he reluctantly relaxed, finally allowing his curiosity to settle in upon the sudden ordeal. He maintained his calmness and was immediately aware of his surrounding, in case there might be a sudden danger nearby. Slowly, the force pulled him towards a different direction of the hallway and Trowa took small steps as to where the force would lead him. His fear was overcome with confusion when he suddenly stopped in front of the music room. The force was still strong, indicating him to go further so Trowa gently turned the knob. He entered the room, still puzzled at the whole situation. 

The music room was dark but with the moonlight filtering from the window, he managed to make out where everything was. He felt himself moving towards the piano that was situated in the middle of the room and he hardly even realized it himself. His fingers began to press the piano keys. At first it was just plain, awkward tunes for he did not know how to play a piano at all but when his fingers slowly began to play a beautiful piece expertly, he let out a surprise cry. 

"How did…" he stuttered in complete shock. It felt like he was being controlled but something in his mind told him there was nothing to be afraid of and let the piece go on.

The piece was beautiful, he had to admit and he was surprised that he was able to tell how the next tune would come out. The soft, flowing melody filled the room, surrounding him with peace and serenity. He noted that the melody was peaceful and gentle, promising a fruitful combination of happiness and love that were manifested into the piece. Yet, somehow there was a little hint of…sadness in it. The tune that had once sounded joyful slowly turned to melancholic. He couldn't help noticing behind the sweet and bitter melodies, there seemed to lay a hidden story in it. 

Suddenly, he felt a flicker of remembrance crossed his mind. His fingers slowly stopped playing the piano as he let himself relax, ending the piece abruptly. The force that was controlling him earlier didn't feel like it was even there in the first place, as though he had been the one playing the beautiful piece all by himself. Blurry images began to play in his mind as he tried to recall back the them slowly. Amazingly, the memories were already registered in his mind, as though just waiting to be uncovered…

Trowa found himself standing by a wide lake that was glittering brightly under the glaring sun. The first thing he realized was another presence sitting at the swing next to him, admiring a bouquet of beautiful flowers that had been earlier picked. From the familiar figure and the familiar soothing voice, he knew that she was the person that had haunted him in his dreams, the person that he had subconsciously longed to meet. Trowa couldn't remember ever seeing anyone as beautiful as her. Her bright, flowing gown was glittering under the bright sun and she looked as radiant as ever. Her soft, blonde hair flowed gently behind her, reminding Trowa of golden waterfalls. She looked so different, Trowa noted thoughtfully as she watched her fiddling with the flowers. So…mesmerizing, he thought. Her eyes portrayed her innocence and purity, not the unbearable pain that he had seen before and he couldn't be more right about her eyes. They were the most beautiful shade of blue and were sparkling brighter than the stars. He was instantly captivated by them.

It took him awhile to realize that the princess was talking excitedly about something but the only thing he was aware now was her striking beauty. She suddenly let out a laugh but when she realized he wasn't sharing her sense of humor, she sighed wearily and gazed at the wide lake. Her expression immediately changed, her smile slowly leaving her feature. Trowa noticed that but didn't acknowledge it. It was as though he meant to do it, not caring whether he had actually hurt the princess's feelings or not. A moment of awkward silence passed by them. Trowa remained quiet, even though he found the silence uncomfortable. 

"Boy, you must be the most serious person I have ever met in my life," the girl suddenly murmured, half jokingly as she let out a bitter chuckle. 

She then continued gravely, "The things that you hid behind those cold exterior of yours must have a strong effect on you, it seems. Though I'm sure it wouldn't hurt as much if you try to smile a little." 

Her statement didn't surprise him at all. Trowa understood what she was implying on for they had had this conversation millions of times before with him winning but he remained quiet as usual, knowing well enough that she wasn't finish and wouldn't stop until she was done. The girl fixed her gaze intently at the wide lake, deliberately avoiding his eyes. 

She licked her dried lips and reluctantly continued, "You don't have to pretend that you are strong all the time. Because through your eyes, I can see that you are suffering…." 

Trowa was a little taken aback by her words for he had never expected it from her. "I know you think it's crazy because we've just met," she said in a softer tone. "But somehow I know you're keeping something inside, I could see it, Triton. I could feel it through you eyes. Emotions…your emotions are all reflected in your eyes. You don't need to hide them away from me because I can see them clearly…" 

Trowa took his time to digest the information which he had just heard. What does she meant by that? he wondered. Is he that transparent? Conspicuous? Though he could not understand it, Trowa suddenly felt worry that she might have known more than what she had led on.

However, he turned and stood across from her. For a moment when their eyes met, he had forgotten his worries briefly. His eyes trailing every single detail of her striking beauty, taking in her soft feature, memorizing her. He then went on his knee and leaned closer to her so that their face were inches apart. The princess, he noticed, had drew in her breath sharply at the sudden closeness between them. However, she didn't make any attempt to pull back.

"Then tell me…." he inquired above whisper. "What do you see?" She squinted her eyes and then brought out her hand to stroke his long brown bangs lightly which was covering his left eye. Her brief touches on his skin left him feeling tingles of unwelcome sensations in him which he tried unsuccessfully to dismiss.

"I see things that you want to hide, things that you're forced to abandon…you must have an awful past back then," she murmured, staring into his emerald green eyes. Trowa felt his heart pounding as he heard her reply. "I can see your pain, Triton. I can feel it too although not as intense as you might had felt. Your pain, regrets, fears and loneliness are all mirrored in these beautiful eyes. I can't find a slight of happiness in them….where is it, Triton? Why did you abandon it?" 

He quickly pulled himself away and rose to his feet, not wanting to reveal too much of his exterior to her, though she had probably seen enough to already judge him in person. 

"That's none of your concern," he said firmly, tearing his gaze away from here and shifted to the lake. The princess was about to protest but quickly realized that he had clearly refused to reveal anything. Silence once again reigned among them as both tried to think of something to say. He was too worried to say anything, in case it might lead her to another discovery of his life that he had tried so hard to mask. 

"It's getting late, princess," he said suddenly. "We better head back to the palace before sunset." 

Without even waiting for her, he began to leave, his arm brushing her hand briefly as he walked past her. 

"Don't walk away from me," she suddenly exclaimed tearfully, determined not to end the conversation just yet. Trowa stopped short at her sudden plea, unable to go any further. Her tearful voice held him there, no matter how much he wanted to turn and leave her. They had their back to one another now but neither turned to meet each other's gaze. 

"Please, don't walk away from me," she murmured, almost in a whisper. "When we first met, you've always been by yourself, taking your duties seriously more than anything else and yet once in awhile, I could still see your rare smile. Nowadays, if it's even possible, you seem more distant than ever. You no longer smile at me like you used to or play your flute for me. Why are you so reluctant to even talk to me?" 

Her pleading tone ached him for he hated when he had done something that left her upset. 

Trowa remained on his ground, trying hard to ignore the feelings that began to envelope him. He did realize he had been avoiding her since two weeks ago, which was when his alien feelings towards her had grown complex, unable him to deny them and hoping by avoiding her the feelings would go away but they remained stronger and somehow painful. He felt guilt rising in the back of his mind but was later overcome by his sorrows, reminding him of his need for a companion that would stay by his side through thick and thin, someone he could trust as well as understand him, someone who was always there when he needed the comfort…

The mix feelings inside grew intense and he could no longer ignore them. He suddenly felt the urge to embrace her, needing to feel her soft skin against his, needing to feel secure for once in his life safely in her arms, needing to ease the loneliness that had sometimes felt unbearable to him. He wanted so much to share with her about his life, about her life, wanted to protect her and stay by her side forever but not based on this kind of relationship where she was a princess and he was merely her bodyguard. 

Gently, he turned and took several hesitant steps until he stood exactly behind her. 

"Princess, I…" he let his sentence trailed, not even sure what he was about to say in the first place. 

He clenched his fists tightly, fighting back the other part of him that disagreed with his decision to continue his true mission, his true reason why he was sent to her planet. 

True, he had been lost ever since he was borne and after he met her, his life had been more confusing with all the sudden alien feelings that swarmed his mind. He had found himself several times making a lot of effort to ignore or at least control his emotions that surrounded him every time he was with her. But the feelings weren't at all unpleasant and they seemed to promise him the happiness and contentment that he had longed for. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't banish the feelings completely for it was already part of him. He wasn't exactly as emotionless as he thought he was, which surprised him.

Reluctantly, he brought his hands to enclose her fists that were grasping the thin ropes of the swing. Her hands felt so soft, just like he had always imagined. Soft and warm. His chin was almost touching the side of her forehead as he leaned closer. The princess didn't acknowledge his touch, as though silently urging him to continue. 

"I…I've been lost," he reluctantly told her, his voice trembling slightly as though it was the first time he realized the bitter truth. "Ever since I can remember. I can't possibly tell you how I have felt back then…" He was talking more to himself than to her and his own voice sounded so different to him, sounded so…weak and weary, instead of his usual strong and confident tone. 

"Then don't,," she replied back, soothingly in a manner of comfort.. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I understand that but at least, let me help you, Triton. Let me lead you, then maybe you won't get lost.…"

A brief moment of silence passed by them and everything seemed to grow still. Even time seemed to stop. The sound of rustling trees upon the gusting wind, the sound of birds exchanging cheerful greetings, the faint sound of the flowing river, had instantly faded. The flowers that sat comfortably on her lap fell to the ground in a messy heap upon the sudden shift of her body as he enclosed his arms around her shoulders from behind. 

The princess almost gasped and Trowa could feel her body tensed up but slowly began to relax, clearly enjoying his touch. He felt the warmth spreading inside of him at the sudden contact and the burden that he had been holding on his shoulder began to ease. Her hands that held the swing slowly grasped his arms in a manner of approval. He felt the comfort and peace he needed just by having her in his arms like this. His emptiness was suddenly filled with so many emotions, confusing his mind as well as easing his loneliness. The emotions that surrounded his heart made him feel so…alive. 

Trowa rested his head on her hair and inhaled the sweet fragrance of jasmine that trailed her presence. He knew he wasn't allow to perform such act on a princess but he didn't care about the consequences anymore. She cared for him, he realized, and that was all that mattered. He had never felt so happy before, so full with life, as though she had provided him the strength he needed to go on. The realization that he had someone to protect made him feel stronger than ever.

"Triton," she murmured, tilting her head slightly to rest on his arm. "Aishiteru…"

Upon the confession, he felt a surge of happiness and content. He let out a small smile and was about to say the same thing until another part of his mind that he had forcefully blocked out awhile ago suddenly screamed at him in disagreement, reminding him over and over of his mission. The guilt that had once left him suddenly returned but more intense this time, completely exposing his fear, sadness and pain. His heart ached when he realized the situation and the warmth that he had earlier felt began to evaporate, leaving him cold and scared. Despite his helplessness towards the emotions that he had tried unsuccessfully to banish, he refused to part with her. He couldn't, even if he wanted to. He held her closely and protectively as though his action was able to erase his sorrows and guilt but sadly, they remained.

"I…" He wanted to tell her how much he cared for her, how much he loved her, how much he wanted her in his life, for her to stay by his side forever but he bit back his tongue, knowing well enough that he wasn't worth the precious treasure in his arms. She deserved someone better, he decided bitterly. Not him. He was far from her worth and would only bring her the unhappiness which he was forced to endure into her life. 

"Thank you, princess," he stated simply in disappointment. 

As soon as the images were uncovered, Trowa took a deep breath and let it all out in one swift motion. For a moment he just sat there, staring blankly ahead while his mind reeling with puzzling thoughts. He didn't need to pinch himself to make sure he was wide awake for he hadn't been able to catch a wink of sleep since last night. His body was a little exhausted but the images had been so strong that he couldn't deny its existence in his mind. The invincible force…the beautiful piece….the princess…everything was real, he concluded, feeling himself sweating slightly due to his confusion. Everything was real but none of them seemed to make any sense.

Trowa wasn't sure how long he had sat there but it couldn't be less than an hour. He was too puzzle for he had never encountered such situation before, situation that involved supernatural experience, of course. Dreams and visions were considered somewhat normal but for him being able to feel a strange force that had lured him to the music room, his sudden talent to play the piano and the images that came like a memory to him were beyond normal. And he was sure it had nothing to do with his imaginations or hallucinations. 

His trembling fingers reluctantly pressed the piano keys, testing the tunes first before slowly began to play the similar melody he had played earlier but this time it was less complicated. His fingers moved gracefully along the piano keys, emitting a slow and gentle melodies from the instrument. Surprisingly, he had memorized the piece by heart and he knew how the next tune would go. That sudden knowledge came to him naturally and he was more aware of his own movements now. He couldn't feel the force that was controlling or to be more specific, guiding him before. Somehow, his newfound talent didn't surprise him. He had expected there was something more behind the dreams, something that was waiting to be solved.

The princess was almost exactly like what he had pictured her but in the images, she was more beautiful. Her feature alone was radiating its own glow and the warmth that he had earlier felt lingered in his mind. He could still feel her soft body against his, the faint flowery fragrance of jasmine, her comforting voice. It felt so real. The emotions he had felt were overwhelming but pleasant at the same time. Nevertheless, the feelings were wonderful, pleasant to say the least. He felt so alive, so strong and secure. And she was the reason for all this. Then again, something at the back of his mind told him he was a little bothered by it. He was guilty for something but he couldn't figure out what. 

Sighing wearily, he ran his fingers through his slightly tousled hair. The exhaustion and sleepiness had finally caught up with him, he noted as he let out a yawn.

"It's been a long night," he muttered, rising to his feet. He willingly pushed away his previous thoughts except for a particular image of the princess that was already plastered in his mind. 

Minako delicately took a sip of her drink. The sweet, warm chocolate felt so good in her mouth and she immediately felt calmed, as though the drink provided her the comfort she needed. The pain had long subsided, much to her relief but the incident still frightened her. Her friends stared at her anxiously as she took another sip. Neither said a word since she had woken up from the nightmare. Rei, Usagi, Makoto and Amy sat cross-legged on the floor while Minako sat up on the bed. It took Minako a moment to realize that she was at Rei's temple. Artemis and Luna exchanged glances nearby as they watched the blonde girl touched her bandaged wound at her temple. She winced slightly at the pain. 

"Mina, are you okay now?" Makoto asked gently. 

Minako looked up from her drink and wiped her tearstained face. She managed a small smile and nodded. Artemis went over to her and sat on her lap. "Mina, what happened?" he inquired in concern. "Who attack you?" Minako tried to choke back a sob as her mind swarmed with unanswered questions and puzzlement.

"Artemis, I…" she let her sentence trailed, trying to find the right words to describe her previous experience.

"Don't deny it," Usagi suddenly exclaimed, startling her friends. Minako frowned at her as she continued, "You can't just faint for no apparent reason! Thank god, Rei and I found you at the sidewalk or else who knows what might have happen to you! Now the least you could do to thank us is by telling us what had happened to you! Who gave you that hit? It was bleeding pretty badly when we found you…" 

Minako bit her bottom lips as she watched Rei argued with Usagi. "You meatball head, can't you let her rest for a few minutes?" Rei cried out, slapping Usagi lightly on her arm. 

"Give her some time to think, you klutz! She's still wounded, for god's sake!" Usagi scowled at the raven hair girl but didn't protest. Minako sighed. She knew her friends weren't going to let her off without an explanation. A good one, that is. Artemis was staring at her intently and she had to look away from his gaze. 

"Alright…." Minako murmured, wearily. "Honestly, I'm not sure what happened." 

"What?" Usagi exclaimed as her frowned deepen. "What do you mean by that?"

Minako hesitated as she tried to recall back her previous ordeal but failing miserably at it. Somehow whatever event which had occurred earlier seemed like a blur to her and she was unable to figure out what it was. She could tell that something was blocking her memory and she did recall feeling intense pain throbbing in her head but no more than that. She figured the bitter feelings which had engulfed her mind was definitely an effect from her ordeal. That particular blank in her memory concerned her and she began to wonder the possibilities that prompted her to such state. However, she ruled out the possibility of an amnesia for that thought was too exaggerating, even in her situation. 

"All I remember was…feeling this terrible pain in my head," Minako admitted softly, bringing out a hand to touch her bandaged temple. "And before I know it, I…fainted."

Her friends frowned at her, as though in disbelief. Minako knew they were doubting her words but she wasn't actually sure what happened herself and not wanting to worry her friends more, she quickly implied, "I guess it's just a migraine." 

"Well, if it's just a migraine, why is it bleeding?" Ami inquired, examining Minako's wound. Minako shrugged off her friend's touch, wincing at the slight pain caused by her movement. 

"I think I hit my head somewhere," Minako mumbled, avoiding her friends' gazes. "I did collapse and maybe my head hit a rock or something. Look, there's nothing to worry about, okay? I had a hard day at work and I'm really, really tired. Fainting is really normal when you're so exhausted." 

Her persuasion seemed to convince them, much to her relief. They relaxed a little but Minako could still tell that they were worried about her condition. "Mina, having a migraine is still serious," Luna said gently. "You should take a few days off from work or volleyball practice..." 

"I will," Minako quickly agreed, not in a mood to protest. She began to believe her own story for her body felt really exhausted and all she wanted to do now was get back home and sleep.

Without waiting for her friends' reply, she swung her legs to the side and rose to her feet, trying her best to regain her balance when the brief wave of dizziness swept over her. 

"Mina, where are you going?" Makoto asked, frowning as she watched Minako grabbed her coat from the floor. "You shouldn't be up yet. You're not well rested."

"Mako's right," Rei said, rising to her feet and placed a hand on Minako's shoulder. "Why don't you stay here tonight? I don't mind taking care of you for the next few days." 

Minako managed a small smile at them and easily waved off their concern. "Thank you, Rei but I think I can managed by myself. I'm fine, really. I just want to get back to my apartment and rest."

"Then we'll go with you," Usagi exclaimed. "I don't want us to blame ourselves if anything happens to you on your way back home and especially with your current condition." Minako was flattered that her friends were concerned of her and she gratefully accepted their companies.

Once again, Trowa found himself trapped in the vivid image of the same dream, trapped in the same whirlwind of emotions. He had tried to stop the fight or protected the princess in whatever way he could think of numerous times but something held him back and he was forced to watch helplessly at the horrible scene across from him. 

Gently cradling her in his arms, he felt himself leaning down and kissing her lips once again, feeling her pain. Trowa gazed deeply with heavy sorrow at the angel who was now sleeping peacefully in his arms. She seemed so fragile, he noticed bitterly. So weak…and yet so strong. Somewhere in the depths of her eyes, laid the pain that she was forced to endure but he did notice a small spark in them that he used to recognize. Trowa had memorized every single detail of the bitter event. He had remembered everything clearly about the dream, though he couldn't understand what it meant. He could even make out the other man's face who she had been fighting with awhile ago, though he could not recognize him. 

After a long moment of silent, he slowly took out a ring and gently slipped it into her wedding finger. He kissed the finger lightly. The ring glittered in the dark, contrasting to the bitter atmosphere. The band was made from silver, a simple pattern was carved around it and a beautiful heart shaped topaz rested on top. The ring was simple indeed but it meant a lot to him. He had wished to ask her hand in marriage since several years ago but their situation had prevented him from doing so. The thought of her falling for another man angered him deeply but he would rather live the rest of his life in sorrow and pain than watching her die, even in his arms like this. That particular thought just came to his mind swiftly, he couldn't understand why though. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to change the situation. Inside he was screaming for everything to stop, for everything to vanish completely from his mind as he wept upon his loss. 

"… If we are reborn, I will find you and protect you again, my princess, with all my heart.…" He paused to kiss her lightly on her forehead. "Aishiteru…zutto…I promise." 

Suddenly, Trowa woke up in a start upon the sudden sound of his digital clock. Groaning and still half asleep, he immediately turned the irritated sound off as he blinked several times to wipe the sleepiness away. The dream once again had haunted him, even though it had been weeks and he should have gotten used to it. However the thought of his sudden talent to play the piano last night suddenly came rushing back to his mind, prompting him to wakefulness. He suddenly seemed eager to play, wanting to know if what he had experienced last night wasn't another dream. 

Trowa was about to toss the comforter aside until something caught him from the corner of his eye. His eyes immediately widen in pure shock when he noticed the tiny object across from him. There, on his lap, laid the topaz engagement ring which he had given to the princess, beautiful and glittering under the bright sun that streamed through the drapes….


	4. chapter four

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A TOUCH OF EMOTION 

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By : Angel of Venus_l3

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Heero dribbled the ball effortlessly, staring intensely at Duo who was assigned to guard him. Duo had his famous grin plastered on his face while his eyes were locked with Heero, silently exchanging challenges with the Perfect Soldier.

In an instant the braided pilot made a quick grab for the ball but Heero had easily dodged him, being well trained in more ways than one. In one quick motion he passed the ball to Trowa who caught it smoothly between his ran, immediately scoring another two points for their team. Wufei muttered something under his breath, casting Duo a brief glare before taking his position to check the ball. 

After Trowa's unexpected discovery this morning, the Heavyarms pilot's mind had grown thicker with questions, not to mention the confusion as well. The ring had felt so real, so solid that he could not deny its existence. Though he was completely ignorant to how it had gotten on his bed in the first place, he was convinced that this was the same ring he had given the princess. This particular sign of possible existence to such memories of the princess erupted a new round of puzzlement for him. 

The vision, the dreams, the piece and now, the ring? What's going on here? he had silently screamed to himself. He couldn't possibly ignore the events that had occurred for the past several weeks now, how could he? He had already experienced the first taste of this supernatural phenomena when he was playing the piano, he could still feel the invincible force that controlled him. Then there was the images that was just….there for him to unlock and before he could digest the unnatural phenomena that had occurred within that one day, he was again hit with an unexpected discovery of the engagement ring. 

So much had occurred and occurred so fast that he doesn't know how to speculate this whole event anymore. All the possibilities that he came up with didn't seem to fit the answers to his questions. He was too convinced that he had never seen the princess before, much less socialized with her. The feelings that surrounded him were far too alien and too complex for him to comprehend. 

However because of that particular emotions, he had took the initiative to search the whereabouts of the princess but due to his ignorant of her name or whereabouts', it was rather difficult and unfruitful anyway. None of the pictures he had attained from his researches had fit the description of the princess, much to his disappointment and frustration. He had spent the whole morning to afternoon searching for any information on the girl but his efforts were wasted as he came up with nothing helpful. 

Feeling weary and hopeless, he had decided to venture his frustration on something. So when Duo came bursting into his room and asking him if he wanted to play basketball, he couldn't refuse. The basketball court at the park was usually empty at this time of evening so the pilots didn't had much trouble selecting a place to play. And now, it had been almost two hours since they played and Trowa was beginning to feel relax. Quatre had politely declined the invitation to play but he had volunteered to be their referee instead so that his friends wouldn't have any problem dividing the teams. That and because he knew well enough how savages the boys could be even outside the battlefields. 

His assumption was accurate of course, as he watched helplessly as Duo broke every single rules there was to know about basketball. The braided pilot had tried all sorts of dirty tricks to get the ball such as tripping Wufei, forgetting briefly that the Chinese pilot was on his team since he was used to being with Heero, teasing the 'Perfect Soldier' endlessly and sometimes, tackling Trowa to the ground. Of course, this scene had led to numerous arguments and a lot of death threats passing around but it was great seeing them having fun and acting more like normal people instead of the cold, fearless pilots they used to be. 

Trowa's mind was at ease now, forgetting instantly about his worries as he concentrated fully on the game. Wufei and Duo might not be the best of team but they earned their strength from years spent fighting in the battlefields which granted them the speed and dexterities that were very useful in a game like this. 

"Dang it!" Duo complained as Heero caught the ball once more, dribbling it swiftly between his legs. "You know what, I like it better when we're teammates, buddy." 

"Amen to that," Wufei included, wiping his sweat from his forehead. "You had done enough fouls to help them score extra points, thank you very much."

"Hey, I'm desperate," Duo argued. "Well, sort of. As if you didn't know, these guys are savages when it comes to battles and games!" 

"Stop complaining, you guys," Quatre exclaimed from the side of the court. "Heero and Trowa are in the lead by five points, you can still catch up! Only five minutes left in the game and remember, the losers will have to do the dishes and laundries for the next two weeks!"

The game then went furious upon the declaration and a battle raged among the two teams, each of them eager to proclaim victory and pride and of course, the next two weeks off from chores. Wufei and Duo's shocking cooperation had threatened to outscore Heero and Trowa, much to their surprise. It didn't take long for the Chinese and American pilots to tie the scores between them. Several times Trowa had almost shot the ball in the basket but Wufei had always managed to steal it before he could shoot. Duo's shots weren't that accurate as the ball kept hitting the rim or the backboard while Heero had managed to steal the rebounds.

All of them were panting now but they were determined to finish the game. Trowa dribbled the ball as he took it down the court, eyes full with concentration. Wufei was gaining on him now, making attempts to steal the ball from his grasp. Between the excitement and anxiety, he could hear the thunder rumbling in the distant. The sky had grown dark, all so suddenly, indicating a heavy rain.

"Hey, it's gonna rain," Quatre cried, staring at the sky briefly before glancing back at his friends. "Better finish this game quick or we'll be soak by the time we reach back." 

"I'm on it," Trowa replied as he made a fake at Wufei before tossing the ball to Heero. Heero caught it and within second, he shot the ball, barely missing Duo's hands as he tried to snatch it. It bounced on the rim, teetering between the edge, threatening a promising victory and a devastating lost. All eyes were at the ball now, waiting in anticipation for the result of this raging battle. 

The ball began to slow, teetering at the edge as before until when at last, it finally went in, through the hoop and bounced back on the court. Quatre blew the whistle, signaling the end of the game and the beginning of two weeks load of chores. 

"Noooooooo!!!!" Duo screamed in anguish, beating the court with his fist. Wufei merely sighed in defeat, too exhausted to even join in Duo's miseries. 

Heero smirked as he and Trowa shared a hive five, exchanging silent congrats to one another before both of them parted to their own resting place. Trowa trotted to the edge of the court for his bag pack and pulled out his water bottle. He drank the whole container until he had successfully quenched his thirst. The others did the same as well, gulping down their water and wiping their sweats with a towel. Despite his lost, Duo's quick change of mood had never ceased to amaze his friends. One minute he was moaning for his defeat, the next minute he was laughing about his 'successful' attempts to grab the ball, by using those dirty tricks, of course. 

Trowa pulled out his own face towel from his bag and a shiny object suddenly fell from the cloth, rolling swiftly at its edge before stopping at his feet. The glint of the glittering heart shaped stone caught his eyes and he instantly recognized the engagement ring. He must had accidentally slipped it into the bag without even realizing it. He picked it up with a frown, examining it for any scratches or dents. While his friends conversation swirled around him in a massive heap of blur, he could hardly make out the words for his mind was instantly reminded of his previous discoveries and questions. It was really hard to focus on anything else now with the ring as a reminder to his 'supernatural occurrences'. 

Suddenly, he felt a sudden jolt through his body. He recognized the familiar jolt and instantly hit with the realization of what was about to come. He drew in his breath sharply as his heart quicken its pace, subconsciously anticipating the vision that was about to close in on him. 

*Flashback*

Trowa found himself standing across a fallen man, staring intently at the dead body while clutching a sword tightly. The man's face wasn't visible as he was lying on his stomach but from the blood that was still forming a puddle underneath the body, Trowa could tell that this man had just recently died. And from his visible bare skin, Trowa saw the wounds that was inflicted on the man and he couldn't possibly imagine that he was the cause for this man's pain. His heart was pounding furiously in his chest but it wasn't the sight of the man that had prompted him to such fear and recklessness. His mind was in a midst of anger and fear. The mix emotions were so intense that he had the sudden urge to scream in anguish. 

A sudden cry broke his thoughts and he gratefully tore his gaze away from the body, only to find an even more painful sight awaited for him. Eyes widen in pure shock, he found the princess huddling at the corner behind him, eyeing him warily before tearing her gaze away and squeezed her eyes tightly, fighting back the obvious tears that were already forming in her eyes. Her body was trembling from fear and he felt the familiar guilt dominating his heart upon watching her. This wasn't what he had expected, she was not suppose to see this!

Quickly recovering from his own shock, he hurried towards her without any hesitation, wanting nothing more than to comfort her.

Her eyes flew open when she felt his approach and glared at him through tearful eyes. Feeling the resentment she was displaying, he stopped abruptly in his tracks and froze, afraid that she might break if he touched her. She had never displayed such bitter feelings towards him before. Pain, anger, hatred and betrayal, all those mix emotions were reflected in her eyes, instantly tearing his last ounce of strength away to explain his actions. He, too was overwhelmed by his own emotions, unable him to even think carefully of his next actions. 

Before long, thudding footsteps were heard echoing through the tiles but before he could make his move, the guards instantly piled into the room, denying him any possible escapes. 

*End flashback*

Before he could stop himself, Trowa cried out at the guilt that had been manifested into the blinding pain and jolted his mind from the vision. Caught off guard by the sudden inflict, he clutched his chest in pain and staggered back. The vision had instantly faded, much to his relief and the pain had subsided almost as quickly as the vision had. He was breathing heavily and his mind was still in daze as he tried to calm himself. 

"Trowa!" Quatre cried in worry as he hurried to his friend. "Trowa, what happened? Are you okay?"

His friends' concern words didn't register in his mind for he was in the midst of his swirling thoughts again, the images of the event replaying in his mind and bringing out the guilt once more. The princess's eyes that were once innocent and kind had flashed with anger and hatred. Her sharp gaze was like adding more salt to his wounds, inflicting more pain in his heart. 

"What's going on here?!!" he cried out unintentionally, his hand now clutching his head and squeezing his eyes shut, trying to push away the troubling thoughts that was already plastered in his mind. "What's the matter with me?!!" 

"Trowa, snap out of it!" Heero demanded as he shook Trowa's shoulders. 

Upon the sudden contact, Trowa's eyes flew open in surprise. It took him awhile to focus on Heero's probing eyes before sweeping shortly across his friends' worried expressions. 

"H-Heero, what…how the…" he stuttered, as though he didn't remember his friends were there in the first place and had witnessed his obvious torment.

"What is the matter with you?" Duo exclaimed, half jokingly but his voice held a slight concern. "It's so unlike you to yell like that. What's going on? Did you get a migraine or something?" 

Trowa reluctantly shook his head in respond, too weak and confused to answer. He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to maintain his composure.

"No," he managed weakly. "I'm just…I don't know…" Trowa noticed the confused looks on them but he didn't know exactly how to explain his ordeal for he hardly had any idea what he was dealing with. However, before his friends could press any further, thunder rumbled in the distant and the sky instantly darken. 

"We better get back…" Quatre murmured in uncertainty after a brief moment of silence. He paused, narrowing his eyes briefly before raising his eyebrows in surprise and pointed to Trowa. "Hey, what's that glowing in your hand?!" 

"Huh?" Trowa's puzzlement was instantly answered as his gaze landed at his palm where the ring was rested. He had totally forgotten that he was still gripping the tiny object. The topaz ring was now highlighted with a yellow glow, emitting a warm heat in his palm. He was too engrossed in his troubling thoughts to even notice the heat.

"What is that?" Wufei inquired curiously, stepping closer to Trowa to witness the unexpected. His forehead creased into a frown as he stared in awe at the glowing object along with the others. 

However before any of them could react, the yellow highlight immediately enclosed around them, immobilizing them for an instant. Trowa gasped as he felt the warmth seeping through his body, though it wasn't hurting or burning him. Still, he didn't like their current ordeal and tried to escape or struggle from the invincible grasp of light but immediately found that his attempts were impossible for he couldn't move at all now. His friends cried out at the sudden 'assault' but they didn't have time to think of possible escape plans when the ring suddenly produced a flash of light that blinded them instantly before enveloping them in a matter of seconds. The last thing Trowa heard was his friends' screams before he passed out.

Setsuna summoned her energy to close the timeline between the two dimensions. Awhile ago, she had founded out that the dimension had been broken into and when she realized the situation that was going on, it was too late for her to stop the creatures from entering. 

The portal of time slowly closed and faded into darkness. Her energy was almost drained but she was satisfied that she had managed to close the portal before anymore of those demons could sneak into this timeline. Setsuna had figured something as such would happen but she didn't realize how serious it actually was and seeing how fast the situation had became, she had no choice but to transfer the pilots into her timeline. It was for their safety as well, although she couldn't guarantee if they would be safe here for long. After all, they weren't used to deal with the usual everyday occurrence with a non-human as well as non- mechanical related being but at least they would be safe here as long as the Senshi were alert of the new threat. And besides, the Senshi would need their help in order to face their next enemy….provided their past didn't get in the way of their corporation.

However, despite the reasons for her drastic actions, she couldn't deny the fact that destinies would be changed. And so would the consequences.

Trowa's eyes slowly fluttered open when he felt the warm rays of sunlight touched his skin. The ground felt so hard underneath him and he could feel the tiny stone that dug under his skin. Everything looked blurry to him and he had to blink a few times to get a better focus. For a moment there, he couldn't remember what had happened awhile ago but when he noticed the ring that rested on his stomach, he was immediately hit with the realization of his previous ordeal. His whole body ached and it felt like it weighted a ton. A wave of dizziness swept over him briefly as he tried to sit up.

The topaz ring fell and landed on the ground heavily upon his movement. He eyed it wearily, wondering what other depravity could this tiny object bring. This simple ring seemed to hold more secrets than it looked. He considered of discarding it but remembering the image where he had given this engagement ring to the princess, his heart felt a little heavy to part with it. This was the only clue that indicated the presence of his princess and he couldn't possibly discard it like some old toy, not when he was close to finding out the truth somehow. He took a moment to check himself for any minor injuries but found none. His condition wasn't much different that before. 

Suddenly remembering his friends, his eyes darted from one corner to another, searching for his fellow comrades and was relieved to find them sprawled nearby. They were unconscious but he doubted that any of them were injured. Their bag packs were strewn about as well. Slipping the ring into his pocket, he slowly got up and scanned their surrounding. Shock registered on his face when he realized they were at a secluded area of what looked like to be a park but certainly not the same park where they had previously played basketball. From a distant, he could hear children's laughter and excited cries. Everything looked normal and yet, there was something that told him otherwise. "Where are we?" he muttered to himself, taking in the full view of what was laid across from him. 

Before his mind could race out of control, he heard a small groan. He spun around and found Heero and Quatre slowly approaching to their senses. He hurried over to them and helped the two pilots up. Quatre seemed a little dizzy, so was Heero but the 'Perfect Soldier' had recovered quickly enough to notice the different surrounding. He wore the same puzzle and shock expression as Trowa had earlier.

"I'm not sure," Trowa answered as the two pilots shot him a questioning looks. "But it looks to me we're at a park." 

"I can see that," Heero murmured solemnly. "But that doesn't explain how did we get here in the first place." 

"Maybe someone had brought us here," Quatre suggested hastily before scanning the place once more. "I mean, there's no other explanation for all this." 

Trowa wished he could believe that but from what obvious conclusion he had gained from the previous events, nothing was impossible. "Still, that doesn't explain much about the ring," Trowa pointed out. "As technologically advance as the colonies are, it's practically impossible to create a flash of light that emitted from such a small object. Even the stone wasn't big enough to fit the smallest chip in it without us discovering it immediately and as far as I can tell, there's nothing suspicious attach to it." 

"Where did you get the ring?" Heero demanded, turning to Trowa. 

Trowa hesitated, compiling his thoughts briefly before admitting, "I…It was just there on my bed this morning, I'm not sure how it got there..." he let his sentence trailed, unsure how to finish it. He couldn't possibly explain to them how he got the ring without linking it to his dreams and the unnatural occurrences. He wasn't the sort of person that opened up easily to anyone. Not even to his friends. 

"What do you mean?" Heero demanded, unconvinced. His voice was hinted with obvious puzzlement and a tinge of impatience.

Before Trowa could respond to that, Quatre quickly intruded, "Look, I think it's better if we wake Wufei and Duo first before you begin. But whatever explanation you can give, we still need to get back home and think of our next course of action. If we're not careful, this harmless 'means of transport' could be a threat." 

Trowa watched as Quatre reluctantly trotted to Wufei and started to shake his friend while Heero had went over to Duo and was now slapping the dazed boy to wakefulness. As expected, the two pilots held the same surprise mixed with confused expressions on their faces when they were notified of the situation and the questions that spilled among them were almost endless. Sighing heavily, Trowa clutched the ring in his pocket, wondering how could he explain something that he doesn't even understand himself. 

All of a sudden, his heart triggered, bringing out the odd sensation which he had never felt before in an instant. At first he regarded it as another part of his imagination but soon he couldn't deny the fact that the familiar warm sensation was getting stronger. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, he had to admit and the stronger the sensation was, the clearer the pleading feeling began to emerge. Something was calling out for him, he realized in puzzle. No, someone was calling for him… 

"Trowa?" 

The sudden sound of Duo's voice broke his thoughts. Trowa jerked his head in surprise. When he realized his friends were staring at him, he inquired, barely audible, "What?" The other pilots exchanged brief glances with one another.

Duo frowned as he replied, "What's wrong with you? You've been acting weird since morning, Tro-man. Are you sure you're alright?" Trowa's slight hesitation didn't go unnoticed by his friends but he still remained silence. 

"Trowa?" Quatre inquired, worried. "Are you okay? You look a little feverish…"

"I'm fine…" Trowa murmured, halfheartedly. The pleasant sensation gave away into a form of pleading, calling out or reaching out for someone, a presence that was the essence of these feelings. They felt so familiar, reminding him of his loneliness but also promising him the content and happiness that he had craved for. A completion of the other half of his whole. The sudden realization sent his emotions into turmoil yet he couldn't doubt how much his sense was calling out to the presence, trying to reach out to her. And somehow he could feel that particular someone was responding to him as well, as though answering his cry…

After he had began to get accustomed to such feelings, his eyes suddenly caught on something beneath him. His forehead creased into a deep frown as he noticed the problem. He stared intently at the ground and blinked his eyes several time to make sure of his focus, silently hoping the scene across from him would change but no such luck. He glanced around for further reassurance and was immediately granted with another shocking discovery. Ignoring his friend and trying to force his heart into its regular beat, Trowa quickly regained his composure and said, "We have a problem.…" 

"You think?" Duo muttered, rolling his eyes. Trowa cast him a glare and turned to the others. 

"What are you talking about now?" Wufei demanded impatiently. 

"I'm talking, about an even bigger problem that I doubt any of us will have a possible answer to," Trowa interrupted seriously. "Take a look around." With that, he pointed a slightly trembling finger to the ground where they were now currently standing on. 

The pilots did as they were told, neither understand what he was implying on. "Oh wow, I have legs!" Duo exclaimed in mock excitement. "Such pretty legs at that!"

Trowa gritted his teeth in frustration but he was too weary to argue. "What else do you notice?" he asked, almost exasperatedly.

"This is pointless, Barton," Wufei said scornfully as he glanced back at Trowa. "What are you trying to say?" 

"I rather have someone else tell it to me so that I don't have to believe what I'm not actually seeing," Trowa exclaimed in exasperate. Wufei scowled at him.

"Barton, I demand to know what is…"

"He's right," Heero stuttered faintly. His eyes were still locked to the ground as the new discovery slowly began to digest. Quatre seemed to come to the same conclusion as well. The blonde Arabian was too shock to say anything and he kept moving about with trembling legs, changing his standing position every minute and checking the ground where he stood. The sun was glaring so brightly that Trowa could feel his shirt dampen but that was the least of his problems now. This is getting more complicated by the minute, he realized bitterly.

"Our shadows…" Heero stuttered, pointing to the ground. "W-we have…no shadows…"

In a distant from where the pilots stood, well hidden beyond the shadows of the trees, a dark figure was watching them silently throughout the whole discovery. He eyed the boys carefully, memorizing their features and taking in every single details of their presences. The rapid interrogations had earlier erupted due to the fact of their 'missing shadows' which was why none of them realized of the other presence nearby. 

The dark figure was clearly astonished to find them here but he remained in the depths of the woods, determined to get as much information as possible from the pilots since he was as confused as they were about their sudden arrivals. His sharp eyes darted from one pilot to another, studying each features carefully and when his gaze rested on Trowa, he felt an immediate recognition of the Latin pilot. "What the…." he stuttered as the realization hit him. "Triton..."

Author's note : Thank you for all of you who had reviewed this fic and I hope you guys will enjoy the upcoming chapters. Please continue to let me know how you guys like it and I'm certainly open for suggestions. Even flames are welcome. Again, thank you so much for the support^^


	5. chapter five

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**A TOUCH OF EMOTION**

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By : Angel of Venus_l3

**CHAPTER FIVE**

As soon as the school bell rang, Minako quickly gathered her books and rushed back home, eager to meet her friends later at the arcade. It had been almost two weeks since her 'incident' and her friends had been full alert of her condition, taking care of her when she needed help and calling her everyday just to make sure she was fine. 

Even though they thought she had suffered from migraine over the previous incident, Minako couldn't shake off the feeling that it wasn't. Something in the back of her mind told her otherwise. The dream that she had several weeks ago didn't bother her anymore since she hardly had any recollection of it ever occurring before but she did feel like a part of her memories were forcefully blocked. Every time she thought of her past life, there was always a vague shadow of another figure who she couldn't identify or recognize lurking in the back of her mind. 

"Tadaima," she exclaimed as she entered her apartment. 

She paused and waited for a reply but silence only greeted her. She frowned when she didn't hear the usual greeting she expected. Normally, Artemis would have greeted her by the door but the white feline was no where to be found today. Minako walked into the living room and let out a smile when she noticed Artemis's sleeping form on the couch. Grinning mischievously, she snuck up behind the white feline and eyed him warily. 

After she was assured that he was really sleeping, Minako took a deep breath and yelled out, "Tadaima!!!" Artemis's eyes almost popped out of his head and he jumped in surprise. Minako fell on the floor and laughed out loud, oblivious to Artemis's glare. 

"Okaeri," Artemis growled, still glaring at the person responsible for the disturbance of his sleep.

"Oh, wow!" Minako exclaimed between her chuckles. "You look so cute when you wake up like that!"

"Mina, I think it's about time you stop playing this wake-up call games," Artemis muttered but his gaze slowly softened when he noticed how beautiful she looked when she laughed. He suddenly realized he haven't heard her laughter in a long time and wondered why he hadn't notice this before. 

He tried to search the genuine warmth or happiness inside her eyes that he had not seen for a very long time. Her childishness which always seemed to match up with Usagi's character was almost gone now, replaced by the seriousness and somewhat maturity that was likely held by a capable leader…just like when she was a princess, Artemis suddenly realized. Even with her smile that could easily fooled or charmed anyone, she appeared so much different now. Not the same girl he knew years ago but almost like the Venusian princess from the past…

Minako finally stopped laughing, though her grin remain plastered on her face. She gently stroke Artemis's fur and picked him up, placing him on her lap. 

"Aw, don't be angry," she replied playfully as she scratched his chin. He couldn't help letting out a purr. 

"And how was your day, little kitty?" Minako inquired playfully. Artemis scowled at her. 

"I told you to stop calling me that," Artemis stated firmly before letting out a deep sigh. "I ran into the outers today."

"That's nice," Minako replied in uncertainty. "I met them almost everyday..."

"No, Mina, this is serious," Artemis intruded, his tone meant business. Immediately Minako knew something was up so she kept quiet and urged him to go on.

"According to Setsuna, there's been a small disturbance in the main portal which connected us to the past. Apparen..." 

"To the past?" Minako echoed in puzzle. "You mean, as in the Silver Millennium?" Artemis nodded his head. 

"Yes. Apparently, Setsuna thinks that someone in the past is trying to get into this timeline. She's still uncertain about who's behind this or what had happened there but we have to be careful from now on, just in case some enemies might have managed to sneak in. In the mean time, the outers are trying to detect the source of disturbance and we'll have an immediate Senshi meeting to discuss it as soon as they receive the necessary details to support any further action." 

"But how can you be sure we're really in danger?" Minako asked, still confused at the whole situation. "I mean, you guys hardly have any clue to whom might be behind this." 

"If anyone was capable enough to break into the timeline very delicately, there's a possibility this person might be dangerous and we can't take any chances," Artemis retorted. "Whatever it is, we need to be more careful and alert at all times. Especially you." 

"What's that suppose to mean?" Minako demanded, almost angrily. Artemis hesitated when he noticed her intense gaze at him. He wanted to say something else but quickly changed his mind. 

"No, seriously, what do you mean when you said 'especially me'? You think I can't take care of myself, do you?" she accused him. 

"I didn't mean that," Artemis finally replied. "I'm just saying that all of us have to be more alert."

"But you said…."

"I'm just making sure that you're listening to me, that's all," Artemis quickly exclaimed. "Just be careful every time you're going out, okay? For all you know, this enemy might attack when you least expected it…" 

"I understand," Minako stated. She then let out a wistful sigh and continued, "I didn't expect these things would ever happen anytime soon. At least there'll be a little excitement from now on…" 

"Excitement?" Artemis cried, eyes widen in disbelieved. "Mina, we're talking about people's life at stake here."

"I know, I know," the blonde girl replied hastily. "But we're not exactly sure of the whole situation, are we? I'm not saying that laying people's life in the line is exciting, I just meant that there will be something to…fill our time." 

"So, you're saying that there's nothing else for you to do?" Artemis demanded scornfully. "Minako Aino, I can't believe that you are actually looking forward to something like that. You're a senshi, for god's sake." 

"Then, isn't that what you guys expected for me to do?" Minako snapped back, her voice rising slightly higher than before. "Isn't that what you guys expected from Sailor Venus, the leader of the Senshi and protector of Princess Serenity?! You guys have special things to look forward to, like…like marriage, careers, boyfriends…I don't have any of those, okay! I had long gave up my dream in becoming an idol just so I can focus on being a Senshi and since that's the only thing I do best and the only thing I can do now, why can't I put more effort on that?!" 

Artemis was taken aback by her harsh words. Minako's gaze slowly landed on the floor, unable to meet Artemis's concern gaze. She suddenly felt her eyes welling up but she quickly blinked back the tears before they became visible. She didn't understand why she had to yell at Artemis like that as if he was at fault for all her miseries. She had been holding back the pressures and pain for a very long time now and it did felt good to let it out a little.

However, her previous display was definitely not what she had planned on doing, especially not in front of her guardian. Any sudden burst of her miseries would eventually resulted to her tears and she knew she was close to it which was why she had to force back the pain from resurfacing. Artemis could be very observant sometimes considering how much they had gone through together. He could tell how she felt just by looking at her. 

"Minako…"

"That's what's important, right?" Minako murmured softly, cutting him mid-sentence as if he had never even spoken before. "As long as I do my job as a senshi, then everything else doesn't really matter…" 

Artemis stared at her, trying desperately to search for the girl he knew so well but what he came to realize was that the particular girl now seemed like a stranger. She no longer held the carefree personality and happiness which was always displayed in her blue eyes, her beautiful features showed sign of sadness and pain. 

A weary sigh escaped from her lips as she gazed at the ceiling. Artemis could see something glistening in her eyes and she was blinking back the obvious tears which were beginning to form. Suddenly, she looked back at him and gave a shaky smile. 

"Gomen, Artemis," she apologized in her usual gentle tone. "I don't mean to sound so emotional. I better get ready now, I'm suppose to meet the others at the arcade." 

Artemis hesitated but reluctantly let her go. He watched her as she steadily walked to her room but not before catching a glimpse of her eyes which hurt him even more to discover hints of her sadness. 

Minako stopped abruptly in her tracks when she felt a sudden trigger in her heart. She hid a startle gasp and gently brought out a hand to touch her chest, trying to determine the unusual feeling. 

Artemis noticed her abrupt halt and inquired worriedly, "Minako, what's the matter? Are you alright?"

His question was ignored for she was too caught up in her thoughts to hear him. She couldn't tell what it was or described the exact feeling but the faint sensation was almost in a manner of pleading. Something or someone, for that matter, was calling for her, pleading for her existence. She was granted with another shocking discovery of how familiar the sensation was and yet, she couldn't remember why or how…

However what was more confusing was the sudden feeling of another presence somewhere. She wasn't sure why or how did that particular thought occurred to her but she could feel it. The presence….felt like it was another part of her whole that was calling out for her, wanting her to ease the loneliness that lingered among them, wanting to close the distance between them… 

Minako drew in her breath and slowly let it out, savoring the comforting feeling and memorizing it. She wanted so much to reach out to that other presence and embraced him, longing to feel the comfort that he provided. 

Who are you, dear stranger? she silently called out to him, as though her mind was able to reach out to his. Please, wherever you are, please answer me… 

"…okay, let's focus here a minute," Duo was saying, trying his best to remain calm about their ordeal.

The pilots were still numbed from shock but they had managed to push by that level after several deep breaths and were slowly accepting their predicaments. Trowa couldn't blame them. It was after all, the first time for all of them but since he had gone through that stage several weeks ago, he wasn't taking it as badly as they were, although that doesn't make him any less confuse than he was earlier. The familiar sensation of warmth and pleading were faint now but he could still feel them lingered in his heart.

"It was your ring, wasn't it, Trowa?" Duo accused, his eyes fixed at the taller pilot. "Your ring had brought us here…how is that possible?"

At that point, everyone glanced at Trowa. Trowa wasn't the least bit surprise, he had expected that matter to come up but he was still uncertain about telling them that there were other 'occurrences' linked to the ring.

"I don't know," Trowa admitted. "I told you, I found it on my bed this morning and…the next thing I know, it led us here." 

"But our shadows…" Duo stammered, unconvinced. 

"I can't answer that either," Trowa replied solemnly. A series of interrogations began after that, mostly directed to Trowa but the taller man was obviously unable to provide them any answer.

Heero suddenly glanced at Trowa and asked gently, although to Trowa, it sounded more like a demand, "May I see that ring?"

Trowa hesitated but reluctantly gave it to Heero. Heero examined the ring, determined to find any evidence of a chip or something that might gave him a single clue to resolve this matter. 

Quatre let out a heavy sigh, raking his platinum blonde hair nervously. "Where are we exactly?" he suddenly inquired, as though that question had just occurred to him. Wufei crossed his arms and leaned against the tree, suppressing a weary sigh. His expression appeared calm and impassive but his eyes reflected otherwise.

"The only way to find out is to investigate," he suggested, his gaze sweeping across the area. "We can't find out much if we don't get going and besides, there's no sign of direct threats that could lead us to dangers." 

"Oh, and missing our shadows gave you the idea that we're protected?" Duo replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he turned to face the Chinese man. "Our shadows are not even safe, what makes you think we are?!"

"We're not harm," Wufei countered, narrowing his eyes. 

"Yet…" Trowa trailed, gaining his friends' stares once more. Judging from their previous discoveries and his 'experiences', anything seemed possible now and obviously the law of logic couldn't be applied in this situation. 

"Trowa, why didn't you tell us that you found this ring?" Heero demanded, holding out the jewelry. "If neither of us own it, how did it ended up on your bed?"

"And which thief could break into the house without alarming three alarms at once," Quatre murmured thoughtfully. "Went through all the hasty troubles, only to deliver an expensive jewelry to the owner?"

"Well, I assume either this amateur is new at the job or he's just wasn't familiar with the concept of robbery," Duo exclaimed, half jokingly. "But seriously, why didn't you tell us?"

That was one of the questions that he was uncertain about the answer. His dreams and visions were all linked to the ring and there was no way he could reveal any of them without exposing the other, which he intended to keep a secret considering the contents of his dreams contained a lot of emotions that he preferred his friends to remain ignorant to.

"I didn't think it was a big deal," he lied. "I figured if one of you guys lost it, you would have asked. And besides, with all the assignments and missions, it totally slip out of my mind." His friends didn't seem too convinced but they eventually accepted the answer, although that barely provided them any comfort. 

"Ok, now what?" Duo exclaimed bluntly after a moment of silence. "There's a conspiracy against shadows going on around here and I don't like the way things are looking. Getting back home is one thing and getting back our shadows is another. How are we going to figure this out? You know, I've read something like this before in the comics and the ending doesn't look too happy to me…" 

"Let's try not to think of the ending yet because I've a feeling this is just the beginning," Heero replied, grabbing his bag pack. "We better get out of here first and then discuss our next step once we reach back home." 

The others immediately gathered their things and decided to move. However, before they could go any further, Trowa felt an instant feeling of dread and stopped his tracks. What is this? he wondered silently to himself. He felt a slight shiver down his spine and his body instantly went to full alert. For a brief moment, something struck him that there was another presence in the park. He couldn't quite tell but being an experienced soldier for more than ten years had taught him to trust his instincts and at this very moment, his instinct was telling him of some presence nearby.

He could feel someone's sharp gaze pricking his senses which prompted him to glance around, searching for possible reasons to his alertness. The park was silent now, he noted. There wasn't the slightest sound of the trees rustling or the birds chirping. The faint laughter of children had clearly faded, causing the park to appear eerily silent. His gaze suddenly rested among one of the trees in the distant. There was an energy, he could feel it, a dark energy radiating from it and it was definitely dangerous.

Noticing his pause, Quatre turned back and inquired gently while the others continued their way, "Trowa, what's the matter?" 

Trowa ignored him and quickly took out his gun which he had stashed in his bag pack. Quatre's eyes widen upon seeing his action. 

"T-trowa," he stammered. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Stay back," Trowa ordered, raising his gun and training it at one of the trees in the distant. Before the blonde Arabian could protest, Trowa pulled the trigger and immediately the tree leaves rustled noisily in the distance, proving his aim accurate. 

"What the…" Duo exclaimed in surprised as he whipped around. Heero and Wufei paused in their tracks and hurried toward their comrades. 

"What's going on?" Wufei demanded, taking out his own gun as well. 

Trowa didn't get a chance to reply for a red beam suddenly shot through the tree leaves where Trowa had made his aim and directed at him. However, Trowa, being more prepared than his friends were, had managed to dodge the assault, though he could feel the intense heat just barely missing him by a few inches. Even though the beam didn't seem to create a sound, it had hit the nearby bench instead and the impact was strong enough to shatter it into pieces. Alarmed, the pilots darted to the side to avoid the flying scrapes of woods. 

"How did he do that?" Duo whispered harshly as he stared in horror at the remnants of what was once a bench. 

Trowa, too was astonished at the scene and so were Quatre and Wufei. Even Heero's feature betrayed his emotion, he was actually shocked. However, they didn't have much time to ponder over it for the creature had quickly made its presence. 

A man, dressed in what looked like to be a silvery blue cat suit, had emerged from where he had been hiding and finally stepped into the light where the pilots could get a better view of him. Even from afar, the first thing that Trowa could make out was his red eyes which seemed to be glaring in contempt, glaring directly at him. There was a dark red stain on his shoulder, obviously courtesy of Trowa's aim and blood was still trickling from his wound, soaking his suit. He flinched at the slightest of his movement as he aimed a finger at the pilots. 

"Identify yourself!!" Heero demanded, his gun training directly at the man. 

The dark energy that Trowa had previously felt had grew stronger, signifying this man's inhumanity. A red glow began to form at the tip of the man's index finger. Trowa stared in horror upon the scene. Of all of his years of being a soldier, this was certainly the first time he'd encountered something so inhuman and because of the particular fact that this man wasn't actually human only added more to his worries.

The beam instantly shot out, aiming directly at them but this time he sent blast after blast of energy continuously towards the pilots. Crying out in surprise, they quickly darted from one corner to another, trying desperately to avoid the assaults. Trowa and Heero were struggling to get an accurate aim at the creature but their attempts almost cost them their lives for several time the blast narrowly missed them by an inch. 

Trowa winced when he felt the beam made a slight contact with his arm, feeling the intense heat burning him. He took a quick glimpse and noticed a long gash on his arm, bleeding furiously due to the open wound. However he had no time to worry about it, not when the creature was still sending attack after attack at them. 

"Dang it, hold still!" Wufei yelled angrily as he tried to shoot the enemy and kept missing his target. He muttered under his breath, "I knew I should have taken Heero's target lesson more seriously…"

"Let's get out of here!" Heero ordered, sending one last shot to the creature before he sprinted ahead and signaled to his friends. The others immediately followed him, running as fast as their legs could bring them.

"What the heck was that?!" Duo exclaimed in horror as they ran. "He ain't human, I tell ya! He just ain't!!" 

"That's very helpful, Duo," Heero countered solemnly, his pace quicken. "Anymore brilliant discoveries?" 

"Yeah, we're not being followed," Trowa stated briefly after he glanced back. His pace had already slowed.

"What? You mean he's not…" Duo let his sentence trailed and came to an abrupt halt. 

The others stopped their tracks and spun around for further confirmation. True enough, there wasn't a sign of the creature. As though reassuring him of their safety, the dark energy had longed ago faded, much to Trowa's relief. He had took that time to tend to his wound, pressing it with his towel in order to stop the bleeding. Quatre had quickly offered to help bandaged the taller man.

"Don't let your guard down just yet," Heero reminded them, his eyes swept briefly across the area, searching for any sign of the creature's presence. "He's still alive and most probably hiding out there." 

"This is a nightmare," Quatre moaned after he finished tending to Trowa. "It's one terrifying moment after another…." 

"We shouldn't stop now, let's keep moving," Trowa suggested, wincing slightly as he felt the slightest movement of his arm prompted the pain to throb. "There should be a city somewhere and I doubt he'll attack if we're surrounded by people. Besides, we need to investigate our location anyway if we are planning to return back home."

"Wait, how did you know that…that thing was hanging out there?" Duo demanded, eyeing his eyes narrowly at Trowa. 

Trowa shrugged, "Call it a warrior's instinct."

Minako sighed as she walked down the street. She had changed into a more comfortable attire, a white cardigan over black and white top and jeans. After her previous display of 'emotional distress' to Artemis, she had hastily slipped on the first thing she could grab from her wardrobe and immediately left the apartment, not wanting to discuss the matter further with her guardian. 

She couldn't help but noted how many couples there were, walking together and holding hands as they shared a laugh. Sometimes those sight pained her a little, knowing well enough she won't be able to feel the security that Usagi and Mamoru had, or at least, something a little closer to what those lovers shared. Even a simple fling couldn't help to ease the pain. She often sneaked a silent gaze at her friends, envying them for what they had now and what it might bear in the future. 

Unlike the other Senshi whose powers were strictly based on the elements that they controlled, being a Senshi of Love had gifted her with abilities to tell how far other relationships would go and sometimes, very rarely though, she could also tell whose soulmates belonged to whom. The bond that lovers shared sometimes provided her a slight warmth of comfort but also reminded her of what she was missing in life as well. 

Her eyes wandered from one store to the other, admiring the items on display. Suddenly she remembered, her birthday was coming up in a week's time. That occasion always excited her for her friends had always arranged some kind of a surprise for her, from surprise parties to unexpected gifts to slumber parties. It was like a tradition to them, celebrating birthdays and occasional holidays together like a huge family. She smiled softly as she recalled back the joyous moments they had spend, cherishing the sweet memories.

"Where the heck are we?!" Duo cried as soon as the pilots stepped into the unfamiliar city. 

After their unexpected discovery, the boys had decided to head back home, their only intention was none other than to figure out what was exactly going on but as soon as they left the park, they were once again granted with another shock. 

Trowa, Duo, Quatre, Heero and Wufei took their time to scan their new surrounding, feeling not a slight recognition toward any of the landmark. The pilots reluctantly walked down the street, unsure of their destination. Their eyes studying the surrounding while their mind reeled with doubts and unanswered questions.

Instead of their comforting neighborhood like they expected, or at least, some place that held a slight familiarity to them, they found themselves at a foreign location that hardly displayed any evidence of war, which was rather surprising. Everyone seemed so…peaceful and contented with their lives. The noisy atmosphere was mixed with the sound of rushing vehicles and rapid voices of the passers-by. Trowa couldn't understand it at all. It seemed like they were in a new world, though slightly obsolete if compared to their highly advanced technologies in the colonies. 

His deep thoughts were broken when he felt someone bumped into him. He winced at the pain. The person seemed oblivious to his predicament as she gently mumbled out an apology, barely even looking at Trowa since she, too appeared to be deep in thought. Yet when their shoulders brushed, the contact was strong enough to trigger something in him. The faint feelings had instantly deepen and that sudden jolt prompted him to turn to her.

For a short moment that seemed to last for a long while, he saw a visual image of that particular girl wearing a long, glittering orange and yellow gown. The red ribbon that held half of her soft blonde hair in a ponytail was replaced with a long, orange ribbon with the tip swaying gently behind her. His heart pounded furiously in his chest and he drew in his breath at the visual sight. The image of the dress faded almost as quickly as it appeared, instantly being replaced by her current attire. And yet he was unable to turn away. His mind now oblivious to his surrounding except for her presence and the alien feelings that engulfed his heart. There was an obvious pull between them, her only presence seemed to be calling out to him and his feelings were furiously responding to it, as though desperately trying to reach out to her.

He didn't avert his gaze, not even when the girl had turned to lock eyes with him for the first time. Time then seemed to freeze, as did everything else. Silence was all they heard and both were oblivious to everything else except for each other. He was certain now, why he felt the flicker of recognition towards her, the connection between them…

*Flashback*

Trowa saw a younger image of himself, dressed in what looked like to be a soldier's uniform, bowing to the younger princess. He was on his knee and had his head down, his eyes fixed on the floor yet he could still feel her sparkling ones on him, studying him curiously like a child would. When he brought his gaze to meet hers, he felt drawn to her sparkling baby blue eyes, mesmerized by the warmth that laid within. Instantly their eyes met, he felt a swarmed of pleasant yet unwelcome feelings attacking his senses, threatening to drown him in the brink of sanity. 

*End flashback*

There was no doubt about it. He had found her, the person that had embraced more than half of his mind and caused all these unexplainable feelings to cloud his judgments. He had found the princess. His princess…

"Sorry…" Minako mumbled hastily at the stranger but as she felt the gentle brushing of their shoulders, her heart was clutched by the intensity of its contact. The silent call suddenly emerged and so did the promising contentment that came along with it. Astonished at the sudden inflict, she turned and only to be greeted by a pair of the most beautiful emerald green eyes she had ever seen.


	6. chapter six

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A TOUCH OF EMOTION

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By : angelofvenus_l3

AN: I'm so sorry for the delay and I'll try to update my fics as soon as possible. This chapter might not be as good as expected but I promise the next chapter will have more romance between the main characters. And of course, more explanations and answers to your puzzling minds. ^^

**CHAPTER SIX**

Trowa wasn't sure how long they just stood there, eyes locked in an intense stare. He had so many questions to ask but once he was caught by the innocence displayed in the depths of her blue eyes, he had momentarily forgotten his troubling thoughts. He had often pondered over her presence, spending most of his waking hours thinking of her, wondering of her existence. Now that he had met her, he wasn't sure how to react to it. 

Trowa took his time to study her appearance carefully. Her sunshine hair was tied in a half ponytail and her features were definitely one of a royalty. A goddess even. Although she appeared rather gentle, especially when her eyes held a spark of innocence in them, he could sense a powerful strength hidden behind her sweet façade.

He was deeply intrigued and very curious of such demeanor. She didn't seemed to lose that radiant glow and he could almost imagine her warm smile on her features. With that beauty, she could easily melt the coldest heart with that smile of hers. Trowa could tell that much, having memorized the specific details of her features from his dreams and visions. 

He had to resist the urge to touch her hair, her face or any part of her being, for that matter, wanting to assure himself that she was real, that she wasn't just a part of his dreams anymore. He needed to know that. He wanted so much to pull her into his strong arms, trailing his lips on her skin and slowly resting on her soft lips, kissing her passionately until he was assured that she was real. The sudden strong urge frightened him yet he was tempted to submit. Quickly, he mentally shook himself off of such thoughts.

Minako wondered how could such a handsome man possess such cold exterior. It was quite puzzling yet the cold aura he projected suited him somehow. There didn't seem to be a speck of emotion in him and even if there was, it was barely a hint. She took her time to study the rest of his appearance. His body was medium built but she could tell there were strong, rippling muscles underneath the layer of clothing. 

Those eyes…she couldn't help staring at those eyes. She was caught by their beauty indeed but that wasn't what intrigued her the most. Those green eyes appeared so cold and fearless that it frightened her for awhile and yet she could sense a flicker of pain embedded deep within them but it was immediately concealed as soon as she detected it. It was enough though, to mesmerize her in an instant.

That's strange, she thought dazedly, lost in his gaze. Where have I seen those eyes before? They seemed to hold so much secrets, secrets that she felt the sudden need to find out. Every single details of his presence seemed to be reaching out to her. There was a sense of familiarity in him, unable her to deny the attraction between them. 

"Ano…" she began in uncertainty. He didn't seem the sort of friendly person she could easily communicate with and he was intimidating her in more ways than one. "Have we…" she trailed, choosing her words carefully. "Have we met?"

Minako could see that her question had obviously taken him aback. For a split second, a mixture of disbelief, confusion and amusement seemed to flicker across his face before hardening into an expressionless mask. 

"What if we have?" his soft, velvety voice was heavy with what sounded to Minako as disappointment, which she found extremely odd coming from someone with such daunting physical appearance. "What if we've not?"

Minako frowned a little. His tone was genuine yet his words seemed to be teasing her. Deciding to ignore the unprovoked remark, she ventured, "I'm sorry, it's just that…you look rather familiar…"

Her sentence was cut off by her own intake of breath as she felt a struck of pain through her head, stealing away her ability to think. The intensity was so strong that she almost collapsed. Her knees buckled under the pressure as her heart pounded in her chest. She clutched her head tightly and her breath became ragged. 

"Daijobu ka?" Trowa asked, concern etched in his handsome features upon noticing her discomfort but Minako's mind was in the midst of haziness and extreme dizziness to hear him.

Through her blurry vision, everything seemed to spin and she was having difficulty to maintain her stand now. Why?! her mind screamed in frantic panic over the sudden inflict. What is going on?!! She tried to bite back her scream but eventually let out muffled cries. Her legs finally gave way and her body began to crumple under the intense pressure.

Trowa's eyebrows shot up in alarm as he watched her figure slumped but he immediately caught her before she hit the ground. Minako barely noted the protective arms wrapped around her waist as she clutched his arms tightly for support.

"Hey, are you alright?" he demanded, eyeing her warily. 

Minako only responded with a groan through gritted teeth. Her hands were shaking as she gripped Trowa's arms, trying unsuccessfully to regain her balance. Wave after wave of dizziness washed over her, threatening to drown her senses into unconsciousness as she struggled to stay focus.

"Are you having a migraine?" Trowa asked once he was certain she was able to respond to him. "Do you have any medication with you?"

Minako gripped his arms tighter as another shot of pain jolted her. "No…it's not…a…migraine," she stuttered between gasps of breath. "I…I don't…I don't know…what…"

All of a sudden, Trowa felt something was amiss. The air, despite the warmth and crowded atmosphere had became chilly. Unusually chilly at this late afternoon. The sharp tug of suspicions only added more to his discomfort and prompted the rest of his senses to awareness. 

Fearing for the worst, he spun around to search for the source and was instantly rewarded with a mental wave of dark energy. He recognized the dreaded senses now, having faced it just hours ago. His eyes darted from one corner to another, searching for anything peculiar that would give away any hint of an attack yet everything looked as the way it was suppose to be, which only multiplied his concerns. He held Minako tighter in his arms, immediately feeling a rush of worries for her safety. If it was the same demon that had attacked him and his friends earlier radiating this sort of demonic energy, then he was certainly the target and this would definitely put Minako in danger all at once if he did not get her to a safer place. 

Minako felt it, too and mentally cursed. Artemis's warning rushed into her head and she knew she had to be alert now, regardless of her ordeal. Fear and panic gripped her throat as her attempts to stand on her own were in vain as she kept ending up in Trowa's arms. The pain that washed over her had lessen, fortunately but it was still vibrating in her head so it was difficult for her to actually focus once the demon decided to attack. The feel of Trowa's strong arms enveloping her struck Minako with a mixture of sinking horror and shock at the realization of an innocent with her. Trowa and the rest of the people around them. 

When Minako was about to assure Trowa of her safety in pursuit of his, she saw a red beam shot at Trowa's back. Her mouth opened to scream out a warning but Trowa had instantly dodged to the side, bringing her along with him and thus, causing the window glass of a jewelry store to shatter into pieces, replacing their fate. Screams and frantic cries were heard after that from those who had witnessed that incident and rushed towards various directions for safety. Their attempts prompted the rest of the crowd to join suit.

Trowa was still grasping Minako's waist when he whirled around and found his attacker. Amazingly, he wasn't much older than Trowa. The boy apparently was standing right across the street, watching them with a malicious smile. His palm was facing them which only confirmed Trowa's suspicion, solving all at once the mystery of the source. From one glance, Trowa knew he wasn't the same person…or creature that had attacked them earlier. Unlike the first one, this boy had wavy blonde hair and instead of blue, he was wearing a silver cat suit and a mask. He appeared to look more human than the previous being, with that friendly yet very conspicuous smile that played on his features but Trowa was certainly not deceived by his appearance. 

Minako didn't seem to notice the other presence, her eyes squeezing shut as she felt the pain deepened once more. Trowa glanced at her briefly, noting her discomfort and pulled her closer to him in a manner to protect. He didn't want her to get involved in this yet it didn't seem like she was even capable to stand on her own without his support. 

"Daijobu?" he asked her softly, his eyes still trained at the man. "Can you try to stand?" 

Minako was already struggling to do so but with the intense pain in her head that seemed to dominate the rest of her ability to move, she could only do so much to support herself. When she glanced at Trowa through half-lidded eyes, she noticed he seemed to be staring at something and when she finally caught what was obviously the source that had attacked them, her eyes widen in bewilderment at the boy. 

Minako's heart slammed against her ribs at the sight of him, her eyes probing his bright blue ones in despair. She recognized that face, the proud yet warm aura that usually lingered around his stance. His casual pose exhibited confidence and grace. His face was also older and more mature but there was still a hint of the boyish charms that she knew so well which was the only trait that confirmed her suspicions of his identity. Aside from his suit and trademark mask. He…changed so much, she realized with a mixture of amazement, disbelief and pain, triggering all at once her emotions of that boy.

She slowly pulled away from Trowa's arms and managed to stand on her own this time, willing herself to fight. Noticing this, Trowa loosen his hold on her waist but still held her firmly enough to support her from collapsing.

"Ace…" Minako stammered, her eyes already brimming with unshed tears, remembering the last time she had seen him. "Ace, how did you…I thought…I thought you were…"

"Dead?" Ace finished for her, smiling wryly. "So you're disappointed you didn't finish me off when you have the chance?"

Minako was taken aback by that comment, feeling the guilt clutched her heart achingly. "Of course not!" she cried tearfully. "I tried to save you! You know very well I didn't want that to happen!"

Trowa began to fell a little uneasy at the way this conversation was heading. He was confused but managed to keep his emotions at bay, alongside with the rest of his puzzling thoughts. However, it was definitely not easy to ignore the pang of jealousy at Minako's forlorn gaze at that boy. Combined with the ache in Minako's tone and the way she meaningful emphasized the creature's name only made it worst. 

Ace's mocking smile slowly faded. He appeared to be studying Minako, his gaze trailing her from top to bottom before locking with her eyes and softened at her sight. Unable to halt the rapid beating of her heart and the anxiety of his appearance, Minako quickly assumed her role as a Senshi, deciding it was the only way for her to ignore the ache in her heart.

"Is-is that why you tried to kill me? Because I didn't save you?"

Ace was silent for awhile, looking thoughtful. "Of course not," he said with a clipped voice. "Despite what we've gone through in the past, I'm not holding any grudge against you."

Minako was getting anxious of the answer. "Then why would you…" She let her sentence trailed when the realization hit her. She glanced at Trowa with a mixture of horror and confusion in her expression. 

She knew Trowa had came to the same conclusion as well, despite the impassiveness of his features. She had half-expected him to run, just like other normal people would do when faced with such encounters or displayed a little bit of fear or shock or at least some sort of expression that would determine his thoughts in this but he didn't appear at all intimidated. Not even a smallest flicker of recognition or acknowledgement to Ace's remark, betraying no emotion in his features. Instead, he seemed to be challenging that boy. His solitary stance and the cold aura he projected portrayed evidence of well-trained skills. 

Before another word could be said by either parties, the dizziness that had struck Minako earlier deepened, taking her by surprise. The pain instantly spread through her body, immobilizing her a little. A small cry escaped from her lips as she felt the pain stealing away her breath, suffocating her. Her ordeal spread to her aching chest as she struggled to breathe. A small warmth began to emerge from within but in a split second, it emerged into a heated flame that burned her chest. The pounding in her head grew furious at that point and her body went completely numbed. Unable to stand it any longer, the pain finally consumed her and she allowed herself to unconsciousness. Her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.

Being well trained in dealing with crucial matters, Trowa was well aware of her ordeal and he had quickly supported her but the impact of her body falling heavily into his arms sent him on his knee. He immediately balanced himself while cradling her and checking her breathing at the same time. When he finally took note of her breathing and the regular beating of her pulse, he was overwhelmed with relief and steadied his pounding heart. He was beyond confused at that point but then, he was beginning to get used to it. As long as he had his princess with him, it was enough to encourage him to survive through this.

"I'm sorry she have to go through that but I prefer if this conversation we're about to share is confine to just the two of us," Ace taunted, his voice coating with malice as he finally caught Trowa's attention. 

Trowa narrowed his eyes in anger. "So, this was your doing?"

"Of course. I can't let her memories get in my way now, can I?"

Trowa didn't quite understand what he meant by that, although he had several guesses in mind. "What is it that caught your interest badly enough to welcome me and my friends the way you had earlier?" 

"You have something that belongs to me."

"And that would be?"

The man was silent, carefully contemplating the answers. "What do you think?" Ace's smile grew wider as he glanced briefly at the princess in Trowa's arms. "Or to be exact, who do you think?"

Trowa's heart was beating double time when he heard this. He felt anger boiled deep within him at the thought of the princess, if she was indeed the same princess he was referring to, belonged to this creature. The urge to rip that guy's throat off and beat him senselessly were very, very tempting but he wasn't the type to act without thinking. It wouldn't do any good anyway. Even though he was armed and well trained in hand-to-hand combats, he was practically defenseless when dealing with an 'abnormal' being who could shoot a deadly laser using just the tip of its fingers.

Ace suddenly flicked his wrist and a card appeared in his hand. With one quick motion, he send the card to Trowa. Trowa caught it smoothly between his fingers, not before noting the sharp edges that could easily slice his hand and flipped it over. The Ace of Spade. He looked back at Ace questioningly. 

"Her fate is to continue fighting, without being loved, without knowing what is love," Ace said. "While yours will always remain to die without having her love." His tone then turned grim and his smile slowly faded, "Stay away from her, Triton. Or I swear, you will pay for what you have done to her in the past."

Trowa frowned, briefly recalling a time when the princess had referred to him using that name. He had never told anyone of his real name before, having no memories whatsoever to support the usage of it. However, he failed to recall the time when he told anyone about it, not to this princess that he had never met nor even this creature. And yet this boy spoke as though they had encountered before and with the sinister tone he used and the obvious hatred blending in it made Trowa realized how serious and certain Ace was about their situation. However, the contents of his warning caught Trowa's interest the most.

Ace's gaze suddenly shifted slightly towards his right. He then turned to Trowa and quickly demanded grimly, "I don't have time to compromise here but if you'll return her to me now, I won't make it any difficult for you to survive here. After all, you are not familiar with how this world works. In other words, I'll spare you and your friends' lives if you hand her over to me."

Trowa's gaze hardened as he studied Ace coldly. "I refuse," was his only curt reply.

Ace was taken aback. "What do you mean 'you refuse'?!" he exclaimed angrily. "Don't force me to make any drastic action that you will regret!"

"I'll let her go if she returns to you willingly but since you have to resolve to such an obsolete method to court her, I assume she's not entirely keen to do so herself. So I've no reason to let you have her."

Ace narrowed his eyes to slits, glaring with contempt at that remark. "At this point, Triton, I think she's not willing to stay with either of us. One last chance, hand her over to me…"

The sudden sound of a gunshot caught both men by surprise. Ace, however, recovered quickly enough to avoid the shot as he leaped to the side, missing the bullet by several inches. Trowa shifted his gaze and found Heero standing at the corner in the distant across the street with Ace, still clasping his gun. Wufei suddenly appeared at the opposite side with also a gun, catching Ace in between. 

"I think this love dispute has gone far enough," Duo commented, suddenly appeared next to Trowa along with Quatre. 

Trowa was too relieved to acknowledge Duo's remark but he knew this was not the time to celebrate just yet. Duo stood slightly ahead of them while Quatre went on his knee to inspect the girl.

"Are you alright?" he asked Trowa before inquiring of the girl in Trowa's arms. 

"He's after her," was only Trowa's reply, motioning towards that boy.

"Identify yourself!" Heero demanded, his gun still training at Ace. 

Ace didn't even acknowledge Heero as he had his murderous glare at Trowa. "So this is how you want it to be?" Ace taunted, obviously directed at Trowa. "Then, so be it!!"

With that, Ace instantly leaped forth towards Trowa, catching the others by surprise as he made his attack. Trowa, Duo and Quatre quickly dodged to three separate directions when Ace's card flew towards them and sent the spot where Trowa had stood exploded, sending shards of broken glass and stones in places. The impact left a small hole in the pavement, dragged by long, agonizing cracks. The card was embedded deep within in the middle of the hole. 

It all happened in an instant and Trowa didn't have time to react when Ace sent another card flying towards him. But instead of slicing him as he thought it would, the card was aimed at Minako who was still cradled in his arms and in a split second, blood began to pour from the side of her waist in one smooth line. She cried in her unconsciousness, her features contorted in pain but her eyes remained closed.

"Princess!" Trowa cried. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it might break his ribs. He glanced back at Ace with contempt. Ace simply smile maliciously, his eyes taunting Trowa. Unable to deal his anger with the injured girl in his arms, Trowa gently handed her over to Quatre before producing his own gun from his bag and turning back to his attacker. With blind fury and without even realizing it, Trowa shot at Ace but before the bullet could hit him, Ace began to shimmer and vanished, along with the dark energy that Trowa came to recognize with deep hatred. 

"Is he gone?" Duo asked after a moment, glancing around hastily. 

"Seems like it," Heero muttered, his eyes still darting from one side to another for confirmation as he trotted towards Trowa.

"Kat, how is she?" Trowa asked hoarsely, barely recovering from his own shock at the intensity of his fury.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," Quatre assured him after studying her wound. "It's just a cut. I don't think it's anything to worry about. It's not deep enough to threaten her life."

Trowa hid a relief sigh, taking her back into his arms as gently as possible. Her features hardened a little, trying to withstand the pain but still, she did not rose. Blood was flowing from her wound, soaking part of Trowa's shirt but not as much. 

Subconsciously, he pulled her closer to him as though assuring him that she was safe in his arms. He had dreams of embracing her like this at the brink of her death, the feelings that attacked his senses then were overwhelming. And now, he was experiencing the same event, with the exception of her death and his emotions were more intense than ever now that he had almost lost her. The warm sensation that enveloped him was a great relief from his puzzling mind, distracting him from his troubling thoughts.

Until a voice yelled from out of nowhere, "Mars Burning Mandrake!"

The guys looked up in total shock to find several balls of burning flame shot toward them. From afar, Trowa could already feel the heated flames burning him and he could imagine the torment if any of those brushed his skin. Quickly, the pilots did what they could only do when faced with such attacks. They leaped to the side and watched helplessly as the flames smashed what was left of the jewelry store. However, the impact of the attack was barely visible as it left nothing more than shattered glasses and cracks on the walls. The flames instantly burned out as it made contact with the concrete, even the intense heat had evaporated.

The pilots took a fighting stance but mostly stood in front of Trowa prior to the girl's safety. From a distant across from them, four young girls, which Trowa estimated around their age, stood gracefully alongside each other, studying them warily. Each wore what looked like to Trowa a sailor's uniform, its designs were apparently suited for women. Their aura gave way to amazing strength and Trowa was confirmed each of them held unnatural powers as the previous creature had. 

"This is getting really annoying," Wufei muttered as Heero and Duo load their guns.


	7. chapter seven

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A TOUCH OF EMOTION

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By : angelofvenus_l3

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

In the midst of haziness, Minako found herself floating in the air. Through half-lidded eyes, she caught sight of the misty haze that surrounded her. Everything was clouded with thick, white fog, she realized dazedly. Her body felt numbed from the cold silence and emptiness, smoldering her with very bit of its solitude. She felt no fear or remorse over her sudden presence at such a place nor was she puzzled. Her mind was unusually blank, she could not remember a thing yet for that, she was more than willing to accept the ordeal because for the first time, she was at peace. Minako sighed deeply as she closed her eyes, savoring the serenity the void seemed to provide. Her mind was relaxed, no more thoughts, no more pain…

"Minako…" 

Minako's eyes slowly opened and she looked up wearily, only to find a pair of bright blue eyes gazing down at her. His face was all too familiar, with the trademark mask of his and the white cat suit that donned his body. She recognized the adorable smile that touched his lips, combined with the wavy blonde hair and mysterious aura he projected, the forlorn way he spoke of her name…and his eyes…his beautiful blue eyes always, always seemed to hold affections and meanings whenever they gazed at her. She had missed him dearly and her heart was torn between anguish at his betrayal and weeping at the joy of seeing him again.

"Ace…" 

Her whisper was so inaudible, it could easily come from inside her head. Not knowing why, she reached out her hand for him, beckoning for him to come to her. However, for a split second she felt something jolted her. For a moment, she felt her mind regaining its conscious state, breaking through the haziness that clouded her head. Yet before she could form any kind of conclusion, Ace had wrapped his arms around her, pulling her so close to him that their chest smashed against one another. Her body went rigid yet she could not deny the warmth that was beginning to spread through her, tingling her senses.

Before she could utter a word of it, he brushed his lips with hers lightly, pressing gentle kisses on her lips that trailed to her neck and shoulder. Her body tensed up at his touch and he felt it, too. To soothe her nerves, he run a hand through her soft hair and the other shifted around her waist protectively. 

"A-Ace…" Minako moaned, unable to pull herself away from his arms. A thousand warning bells were clanging madly in her, making her feel extremely dizzy yet they were overthrown by her desperate craving for the feelings and emotions she was forbidden to experience. Strangely enough, the promising security and contentment seemed to come from the same man that forbid them. 

Ace silent her mouth with his, kissing her tenderly and with passion that took Minako by surprise. Never had he or anyone else kissed her like this and subconsciously, she inched her lips to mold with his. Hearing the small whimper from the young Venusian princess and the delightful fact that she was beginning to respond, he hid a smile. He pulled back and whispered huskily to her, his breath tickling her ear, "That's right, princess, don't fight this. Let yourself feel what it's like to be loved…"

With that, his mouth captured hers once more, starting the process all over again as he continued to tease her before pulling her into a deep kiss, his tongue probing her mouth for entrance and she reacted in impulse to his warm touch, finding herself loving the attention he seek from her. Her body went rigid at his boldness but the kiss had provoked wonderful, tingling sensations in her that made her relaxed. She couldn't pull back even if she wanted to for Ace had tightened his hold on her, depriving her of any escape from the temptations he stirred in her, promising her through his kisses and touches. Her mind seized at that thought, instantly liking the new feelings that erupted, enveloping her in a sense of security and warmth, overthrowing her previous hint of doubts and concerns.

When Minako deepened the kiss, she could feel him smiling gratefully at her respond and was more than happy to oblige the request. In that moment, she allowed herself to submit to him fully, feeling her mind became completely clouded by his gentle touches and caresses, simply enjoying the attention he was more than willing to give. The troubling matters that dominated her mind seemed so far away now as she savored the feel of Ace's lips on hers and the new feelings that were freshly began to replace the burden she carried, her mind beginning to lose its grasp of her memories. 

"This is getting really annoying," Wufei muttered in annoyance, his eyes narrowing to slits. To be caught off-guard with an attack was one thing but to be attacked by a group of females who donned what seemed to be occasionally worn at a masquerade party was another, even if they possessed the ability to produce magical flames with their palms. 

Heero's gaze hardened while he studied their newly arrived opponents, contemplating the alternatives they had to survive through this. He didn't care so much about the girl in Trowa's arms and he would have surrendered her over to those girls if that was all it took for the battles to stop yet Trowa was so possessive of her that Heero couldn't doubt the significance of her presence to him. He had heard a part of the conversation exchanged between Trowa and Ace and what he had extracted from the brief argument had partly explained the continuous attacks.

It was ridiculous, though that the attacks were resorted from a simple absurd matter, though that was nothing compared to the fact that Trowa was actually involved in what seemed to be a love triangle. He had earlier dismissed those thoughts away seeing as Trowa was as ignorant as the others were but when Heero noted the concerns in Trowa's eyes when he held her and the rage that stormed in his mind to the one responsible for her injury, Heero reconsidered the facts and although there were many possible conclusions to this confusing state they were in, Heero was very certain Trowa cared for her that much. 

That thought bothered him a little, though because if those two did gave any indication that they knew one another, the pilots would have to face this sort of encounter again. Not from humongous, mechanical mobile dolls that could smash the planet into dust but a group of people with preternatural powers that could easily outdo his highly-trained skills. Not only were they stranded in what seemed to be another planet, but they were also deprived from any form of defense which was practically a necessity for the pilots in a battle. This was definitely increasing their risks and frankly, Heero was not ready to die yet. At least not in a foreign world and over a cause involving Trowa's love life that doesn't require his intervention.

Quatre on the other hand, was reluctant to continue the fight. He wasn't afraid of losing his life in this battle, having risked it many times before in the war but his kind and compassionate nature prohibited him from committing such violent acts (especially against women) unless it was requisite. It had been awhile since weapons had became a necessity in their daily lives so it had not occurred to him to bring one during a basketball game in the park, unlike his friends' who had this frightening habit of stashing guns into any compartment available whenever they went out, a habit that Quatre had tried unsuccessfully to rid them off. 

Trowa cursed silently as he was again forced into a battle he wasn't ready for. He refused to put his princess in anymore danger than she already was and at this moment, her life was already at risk if he did not get her to a doctor fast. Her wound might not be serious but he was not taking any chances. Especially not on his account. 

"Dang, Trowa," Duo said, more in amusement than annoyance as his eyes kept roving toward the girls in obvious admiration. Whether it was towards the idea of five gorgeous girls chasing after them or the exposure of their long, slender legs and skimpy outfits that clad their figures, Trowa couldn't tell. "If I knew you were such a hit with the ladies I would have brought you to the club more often…"

Duo had never ceased to amaze his comrades with his ability to laugh or joke about practically anything at the worst of situation. While it had been proved effective to put his friends at ease in certain occasions, Trowa was not at all appreciative of his deliberate lack of concerns over the current problems here. However despite Duo's casual tone that clearly deprived from any form of fear or intimidation, he had already secured himself a gun, a gesture that indicated a dangerous streak beneath his friendly nature.

Trowa couldn't be certain how long bullets or gunpowder would last in a battle with demonic creatures but if they were to face these encounters in the future, at least they had some form of defense for now. They could work their way up to more effective means later. That is, if they survived through this.

No, they must survive this! Trowa argued silently, his grasps on the princess tightened in assurance as he stared at the five girls across from them who seemed ready to strike at any moment. He scarcely noted their presences earlier but when he finally got a good look at them, his gaze softened in reflex, especially when his eyes met the bright cerulean ones who gazed at him with determination that belonged to a leader. 

The girl looked similarly like his princess, minus the odd hairstyle and her demeanor was as innocent as his princess but that was when the similarities ended. He didn't experience any threatening emotions as he had for his princess nor did he felt any hint of recognition toward her. Just a sense of…respect and admiration…Trowa frowned as he tried to understand that feelings deeper. His heart, he realized in bemusement, had softened involuntarily at those thoughts and not knowing why, he could not bring himself to harm her in any way. 

Doushite? he wondered, not liking these feelings one bit. Not that he enjoyed harming people but he felt threatened and almost defenseless in that sense. So with that, he quickly banished those feelings, for the first time refusing to trust his instinct that seemed to be telling him otherwise.

"Not bad," Sailor Jupiter said with a smirk as she watched the boys gracefully dodged Sailor Mars's attack. The boys quickly composed themselves and proceed to load their guns, a gesture which took the girls aback. 

"Wait, they're retaliating with…guns?" Sailor Moon uttered with distaste and then turned to Sailor Mars, who had an equal puzzled look on her face. "This is the terrifying energy you felt couple of minutes ago? We're getting all worried from bullets and gunpowder?"

"Hey, that energy was real, I know it was," Sailor Mars insisted, shooting her friend a scowl. She paused, her expression slowly gave way to dubious when she studied the 'obsolete' weapons the boys had in hands. "But…then, they don't seem like someone who possess that sort of energy.." 

"Rei, Minako's hurt there!" Sailor Jupiter reminded her frantically. "We gotta get her back, who knows what they want with her!" A wry smile slowly touched her lips once she turned back to the pilots. "Although, they are unbelievably attractive for an enemy…"  
"Guys, focus, please," Sailor Mercury admonished. "Remember Luna had warned us about the break-in in the portal of time? For all we know, they could be involved and if that's the case, then we definitely can't take them lightly regardless to whatever weapons they're armed with. Even if they're real humans, possessing a gun is still a violation against the law."

"Well, well, well," Duo suddenly taunted, his lips curving into a wry smile. His fingers worked expertly in twirling the gun with one hand while the other perched on his hip in mockery to the idea of battling female opponents in costumes. "Sending the ladies to finish the job instead…I see this will be a very interesting battle indeed, though you girls could do without the costumes…"

Misunderstanding that remark for perversity, Sailor Mars glowered at them and was ready to strike any moment if not for Sailor Mercury's deliberate questioning, "What do want with her?"

"What do YOU want with her?" Duo shot back before any of his friend could answer. Trowa could only watch with meager interest at the verbal combat that was to come. While appreciating Duo's stalling for time, he glanced at Heero from the corner of his eye, trying to determine what the Perfect Soldier was thinking at this moment, more precisely whether he had an idea of an escape. As though sensing the silent message from Trowa, Heero shook his head in answer before riveting his eyes back to the opponents. 

"Okay, let me ask you guys a very simple question so that we can do this correctly," Sailor Moon suddenly interrupted, holding her hands up to signify a momentary neutrality. "Are you guys human?"

Her blunt yet direct inquiry had successfully caught each of the pilot's full attention. While most of them considered it unusual or unnecessary to ask a question to which the answer was very obvious, they could not, however, sense any form of fabrication coating her tone. She and her comrades were completely clueless and dubious of their status which again, took the pilots by surprise for obvious reasons. They, too began to store doubts about these female warriors and their extraordinary abilities yet they were still on their guard, unwilling to confront the girls of their ordeal just yet. 

"What kind of question is that?" Wufei cried indignantly with a scowl. It wasn't his intention to reveal their status but it was indeed insulting to be considered anything other than human since, unlike some people, they weren't equipped with 'special gifts' other than their guns and perhaps, some handmade bombs that no doubt Heero would have brought along.

"Look, we don't know what you are or what you people are planning to do but at this moment, it's wise that you let her go," Sailor Mars warned gently with a glare, motioning her head towards the motionless Minako in Trowa's arms. "Or would you prefer a little assistant on that?" To emphasize her point, her hand began to form a small flame in her palm, suspended in the air with its tips flickering wildly. 

"You can try," Heero said grimly, his eyes narrowed to slits at the threat. "But I must warn you, we will retaliate."

Sailor Mars cast him a glare while the others simply looked on. It was obvious, these boys were not giving Minako up without a fight. 

"So, any ideas?" Sailor Moon asked her comrades. "We can take our chances and try to kill them but I refuse to put Minako at risk, too."  
"I agree," Sailor Mercury replied hastily. "And besides, we're still not certain if they're humans or under a spell so we can't really harm them in a way. We can figure that out later, though. Right now let's get Minako back before they try to escape. I'll use my power to create a mist and with that, Makoto will…" 

"I get it," Sailor Jupiter interrupted. "I'll get Minako back from those men. Rei, cover me."

"Got it."

Nodding, Sailor Mercury closed her eyes in concentration and in an instant, the air grew cold all of a sudden. A gusting wind swirled around her, forming ribbons of bubble that trailed her figure in circular patterns. Her eyes immediately opened after that, catching a quick glimpse of fascination from the boys as she thrust her palm forward where the bubbles seemed to explode in a foggy mist, clouding practically everything in sight.

The presence of their opponents were completely blocked by the heavy mist and she could only estimate where they were at this point. The fog began to deepen as she felt her friends sprung into action. 

However, a sudden crash and a loud shot was heard from ahead, followed by a shriek. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Moon both gasped in horror. The shot was so loud that the two girls almost collapsed in fright. Yet what was more frightening was the painful scream coming from one of their comrades. 

"MARS!! JUPITER!!" Sailor Moon screamed frantically and before Sailor Mercury could stop her, Sailor Moon rushed forward to retrieve her friends. At that moment, the mist instantly cleared up and they could see Sailor Mars unconscious on the ground where the boys were once located while Sailor Jupiter was thrown into the jewelry shop where she, too laid on the ground. Her eyes were squeezed shut but her body was still trembling from her ordeal as she groaned in pain.

"For someone who can form fireballs and create a mist, you girls sure put up a lousy defense."

Sailor Mercury hid a startled gasp as she spun around, only to catch a glimpse of Heero's face before he swept her off her feet swiftly in one motion with his leg. Sailor Mercury yelped in surprise but she was quick enough to land back on her feet, glad that she had taken up Minako's offer to teach her a little gymnastic. She made a mental note to learn more about it once everything was settled. However her motivation was cut short when Heero had instantly delivered several punches and kicks continuously, making it impossible for her to concentrate and summon an attack. She was struggling to defend herself and at the same time, maintaining her balance as the impact of his attacks were so intense that her wrist that had managed to bind with his was shaking at the intensity of his hit. 

Sailor Mercury realized with sinking horror at his strength and skillfulness. His expression hadn't change even a bit and his eyes seemed so cold that it sent shivers down her spine. He was almost inhuman, she thought in horrified. 

Suddenly remembering her friends, she stole a quick glance at her comrades. Sailor Mars was still down so she need not worried about her that much. Sailor Moon was basically at the same state as Sailor Mercury was, although she appeared to be rattling the same old speech of justice and their rights to walk freely in the city without the fear of being kidnapped and punishment in the name of the moon to a boy with slick, long black hair tied into a ponytail. He merely scowled in respond to her speech before lunging into an attack. Sailor Moon yelled in fright at his furious hits but her long experience in fighting demons was not in vain as she began to retaliate bit by bit. 

Sailor Mercury shifted her eyes slightly to the side and found the braided boy hovering over Sailor Jupiter who appeared to have lost consciousness. Sailor Mercury's heart rammed against her chest but her alarming thoughts were interrupted by her opponent's sudden assault. Before she realized it, she was tossed over his head and thrown to the ground, her back hitting the pavement sharply, sending shooting pain through her aching body. Crying out, Sailor Mercury forced herself to ignore the pain and bravely looked up at her opponent in the eye. 

Heero had his gun trained at her, his cold eyes fixed at her so intense that she seemed to shrink at his stare yet struggling to stay firm. He couldn't help wondering why someone, as delicate as she, was willing to participate in a battle like this. The idea of engaging in a fight hardly appealed to her, that he knew for certain from his vast experience yet she didn't seem strong enough to defend herself well for someone who possessed supernatural powers. 

Or perhaps she relied on her powers too much and neglected other alternatives of self-defense, Heero decided curtly.

Sailor Mercury fought the rising panic and dread, feeling a tight knot in her stomach as the barrel of the gun glinted in her direction. She could take him down with her powers, or at least buy her some time but those thoughts were instantly dismissed as another possibility occurred to her. He would shoot her faster than she could summon enough energy to create another mist or form an attack. His previous display was an evident to frightening skills that could easily match up to a demon. She risked a glance at the others once more.

Wufei had currently secured Sailor Moon's arms behind her back and forced her on her knees. The blonde soldier relented but not without some struggling and griping. At least she wasn't injured, Sailor Mercury decided. 

She noticed the braided boy was merely examining Sailor Jupiter but his intention was immediately interrupted by the angry priestess who had regained her consciousness. A ball of fire was instantly flung towards Duo the minute he touched Sailor Jupiter's neck and crying out in surprise, Duo quickly backed away just in time to avoid the attack. Sailor Mars stood across from Sailor Jupiter now, one arm wrapped around her own waist while a small flame flickered wildly on the other palm. 

Sailor Mercury frantically searched for Minako but she was definitely no where to be found along with the other two boys. Another discovery settled across her features when she watched the braided boy who happened to be standing across a display glass. She noticed some vague movements on the glass mirror, capturing whatever images that displayed in front of it. She could see a part of Sailor Mars's reflection, facing her opponent yet she could not see the boy's image! Her gaze darted back and forth from the boy to the glass yet her eyes failed to meet her expectation. Her amazed mind raced frantically as she tried to digest the newfound information.

"You better start worrying about yourself first," the cold, solemn voice of her opponent broke her gaze. Sailor Mercury was about to protest but he didn't give her a chance and demanded, "Now, we have some questions."

Setsuna sighed in frustration as she placed the phone back on its receiver and glanced at her other companions scattered around the living room. "Nothing, not even Rei's grandfather answer," she said in mild disappointment.

Michiru exchanged a dubious glance with Haruka but the tall, athletic blonde was anything but worried. She guarded her emotions well and was not one to display them easily around people. More precisely, she didn't consider this current issue a serious matter that required her attention yet and she was more concerned about a demonic attack than the arrival of a group of young boys from a different dimension.

Artemis had been pacing back and forth across from where Michiru and Haruka were seating, his mind deep in thought ever since Setsuna informed him of the new threat. He couldn't help recalling the embarrassing scene with Minako moments ago and the brief sadness that reflected in her eyes kept flashing across his mind over and over again. He wouldn't forgive himself if anything happened to her and he had never been so worried about her before. Minako had played such a convincing role of an experienced leader with an exuberant nature that he had completely overlooked the rest of her flaws, forgetting that she, a long time ago, had almost turned in her transformation pen in exchanged for a normal life. 

Until then, he didn't realize how hard the burden of being a Senshi must had been for the Goddess of Love and Beauty, with her being isolated at school, cursed by a former lover, followed by a string of heartbreaks and then killed another former lover of her painful past in less than two years. Yet, even when she was truly given the choice that she had always seek for, Minako had decided to stay with her princess as a leader of the Senshi rather than leaving her sole duty and pursue her dream of becoming a famous idol. 

Artemis suddenly let out a wistful sigh. He could only wonder how long her patience could last in her state, especially with the upcoming issues that thoroughly involved her. However all of her sufferings were nothing compared to the painful truth of her curse. As though those sorrows were not enough, now she had to face another old lover from her past, one that actually deserved her scorn and fury. 

"Isn't there any other way we can detect those boys' whereabouts?" Luna asked with guarded hope. "I mean, they wouldn't know exactly where to go so I doubt they would decide to go on a road trip or anything. Can't your powers sense their presences even a little bit?"

"No, I'm afraid we have to use the old-fashion way," Setsuna said with a rueful smile. "I can transfer people back and forth between dimensions but I'm afraid I wasn't gifted with the ability to locate their presences in those dimensions. Which is why I'm unable to detect the exact location of the intruder right now."

"Personally, I don't see why you need to transfer those boys here," Haruka remarked, crossing her arms. "It's clear enough that they're powerless so relying on their strength to battle against a youma is definitely not one of the options. Besides, Minako doesn't need anymore emotional battle in her life and she can't afford any distraction at this moment which I'm sure, he will be fully responsible for it. The Senshi can handle the battles alone, we don't need any help from outsiders."

"We don't," Setsuna agreed thoughtfully. "But Minako does and only he can provide her the support she needs."

"Even if it did work out between them, it will only end in disappointment," Haruka pointed out softly. "And this time, she's not the only one who'll feel it." 

Artemis, who had been listening all this while, could only bear the increasing sorrow he felt for Minako. Haruka definitely had a point and although she seemed cold about it, she cared about Minako a great deal than she let on.

"Let's not worry about that yet," Michiru intruded, slowly rising to her feet. "The boys shouldn't have gone far. Unless they've checked into a motel for the night, we still have better chances of finding them than Usagi and her team. Let those girls enjoy themselves before we notify them of the threat. I just hope the enemy doesn't approach either of them."

"That's one thing, Michiru," Luna said. "But what if those boys approach the girls?"

"That's a good one," Haruka casually remarked, glancing at Setsuna. "Is that something we should worry about?"

Setsuna looked thoughtful. "Well…I doubt it. Both teams are more experienced in dealing this kind of matters, I'm sure they'll sort out the confrontation well. Besides, what in the odds could they have met the boys at such short notice?"


	8. chapter eight

A  TOUCH  OF  EMOTION 

By          :               angelofvenus_l3

                                                                           **CHAPTER  EIGHT**

**************************************In  the  past***************************************

               It  was  a  beautiful  day, certainly  more  beautiful  than   any  other  day. The  sky  was  cloudless  and  a  beautiful  shade  of  blue, all  at  once  bringing  out  the  beauty  of  the  golden  kingdom  that  glittered  brightly  underneath  the  glaring  sun. The  Magellan  Castle  stood  proudly  in  the  middle  of  the  kingdom, radiant  and  majestic in  its  form. 

               The  people  of  Venus  had  always  been  one  of  the  friendliest  people  in  the  solar  system, the  atmosphere  surrounding  them  was  one  of  merriment  that  seldom  be  seen  in  just  any  kingdom. They  possessed  their  strength  from  bonds  they  created  with  people  around  them, may  it  be  their  own  circle  of  friends  or  outsiders  from  another  planet. Smiles  and  laughter  accompanied  their  daily  routine  in  an  attempt  to  ease  the  pressures  of  the  burden  they  carried. The  excitement, however  mostly  began  at  night  where  gatherings  of  friends  and  families  were  held  after  a  hard  day's  work. They  would  sing  and  dance  towards  the  music  they  created  on  their  own, happily  indulging  themselves  into  the  mere  pleasure  of  completing  their  daily  tasks  and  one  another's  companies. 

               Today, they  had  an  excuse  to  do  so. The  kingdom  had  already  stirred  before  the  break  of  dawn  and  once  they  made  their  appearances, anticipation  was  written  in  their  faces. The  atmosphere  was  wonderful, tingled  with  excitement. Everyone  was  in  better  mood  than  they  usually  were, excited  about  the  obvious  event  and  waiting  anxiously  of  the  news. Fragrance  flowers  of  all  kinds  seemed  to  bloom  and  flourish  specially  for  today, the  gentle  breeze  offering  comfort  and  the  weather  had  never  been  more  suitable  for  this  sort  of  occasion. 

               A  boy, aged  around  four  years  old  stood  silently  from  afar, isolated  completely  from  the  crowd  as  they  surrounded  the  outer  walls  of  the  Magellan  Castle. Excited  voices, murmurs  and  whispers  rose  from  them  as  they  waited  for  the  appearance  of  their  king. 

The  boy  made  certain  his  presence  was  well  hidden  in  the  shadows  of  the  street, refused  to  attract  unwanted  attention  from  those  strangers. Anyone  that  sets  eyes  on  him  would  instantly  realize  the  miserable  state  he  was  in. The  garments  that  covered  him  were  tattered  and  torn, his  skin  was  partly  bruised  and  covered  with  dirt  due  to  his  daily  struggles  for  food  and  a  place  to  shelter  for  the  night. 

But  his  eyes  certainly  made  up  for  his  condition. They  were  indeed  captivating. Beautiful  intense  emerald  green, with  a  very  light  hint  of  blue. Yet  they  were  cold, colder  beyond  the  years  children  his  aged  would  possess, concealing  the  pain  he  had  endured  very  well  in  their  depths. In  spite  of  his  state, his  eyes  seemed  to  create  an  air  of  arrogance  around  him, intimidating  those  who  dare  harbored  pity  or  sympathized  his  condition. But  no  doubt, he  was  still  a  little  child  and  curiosity  settled  in  his  eyes  as  he  studied  the  crowd. 

               It  had  been  one  thousand  years  ago  since  the  kingdom  of  Venus  had  produced  a  female  heir  to  the  throne. The  true  goddess, Queen  Aphrodite  of  Love  and  Beauty  was  believed  to  be  borne from  the  ocean, the  first  ruler  responsible  for   the  rebuilding  of  Venus. However  since  then, Venusian  royalties  were  yet  to  conceive  a  princess. Only  a  true  princess  borne  from  a  pure  Venusian  blood  was  the  rightful  heir. A  princess  borne  from  the  pure  breed  of  Venus  had  the  right  to  rule  the  entire  planet  and  her  powers  weren't  confine  to  just  the  main  kingdom, she  could  easily  overrule  other  rulers  of  her  planet  if  she  wanted  to. Other  rulers  did  not  have  that  sort  of  advantage. Venusian  princes  sought  after  princesses  or  ladies  of  Venus  or  to  some  who  were  extravagant, ladies  of  other  planetary  courts, marrying  them  and  producing  yet  another  male  heir  to  take  over  the  kingdom. 

               Several  months  ago, rumors  about  the  birth  of  a  Venusian  princess  floated  among  the  planets, immediately  attracting  visitors  from  all  over  the  solar  system. People  from  near  and  far  had  came  to  confirm  the  news, hopefully  to  steal  a  peek  of  the  heir  that  was  said  to  be  the  reincarnation  of  the  well-known  Goddess  of  Love  and  Beauty, Queen  Aphrodite. No one  knew  how  or  when  did  the  rumors  started  but  it  caught  their  interest  on  that  matter  anyway. 

               After  a  moment, the  crowd  suddenly  grew  silent, all  eyes  fixed  at  the  man  who  now  stood  proudly  at  the  large  balcony. The  boy  could  not  see  the  man  clearly  but  from  the  sudden  tense  atmosphere  and  the  fine  garments  that  wrapped  around  him, the  boy  knew  well  enough  how  significant  this  man  was  and  the  news  he  bore. He  cradled  a  small  white  bundle  comfortably  in  his  arms. His  eyes  were  filled  with  joy  as  he  gazed  at   his  firstborn  child  and  when  he  glanced  back  at  his  people, he  smiled  brightly  at  them  and  held  the  bundle  high  above  him. The  tiny  infant  gurgled  and  a  Venus  sign  flashed  on  its  forehead, signifying  the  true  Venusian  breed. 

               His  gesture  and  the  evidence  of  the  birthright  stirred  the  kingdom  into  applause  and  they  cried  their  joy  upon  sharing  the  wonderful  news.

 It  seemed  apparent  enough, the  boy  thought  as  he  slinked  into  the  corner  of  the  street, no  longer  held  any  interest  in  the  event. It's  a  princess. 

"Well  done, princess," Miriko  exclaimed  next  to  the  princess, clapping  her  hands  as  soon  as  the  piece  ended. The  five  year-old  princess  looked  up  from  her  piano  and  flashed  her  governess  a  smile, beaming  proudly  at  the  compliment. It  was  highly  expected. She  was  gifted  with  talents  only  a  pure  Venusian  Goddess  would  possess. After  barely  a  week  of  lesson, she  was  able  to  memorize  most  of  the  chords  and  even  replayed  the  pieces  after  listening  to  them  once.

               "That  piece  was  beautiful," Miriko  gushed, giving  Minako  a  brief  hug. "Your  parents  will  be  so  please  once  they  hear  you  playing  this  on  their  anniversary  ball."

               "Arigato, Miriko-san," Minako  said  patiently  before  her  eyes  lit  up  with  anticipation, "Can  I  go  to  the  playground  now?"

               Miriko's  smile  slowly  faded  and  she  shifted  uncomfortably. "You  said  I  can  play  after  I  show  you  what  I've  learn  from  my  music  lessons," Minako  pressed, sensing  Miriko's  hesitation. "Miriko-san, you  promise…"

               "Oh, princess, I  meant  you  can  play  at  the  garden," Miriko  explained  softly. "Your  mother  strictly  dictate  that  you  are  not  to  leave  the  palace  compound  nor  are  you  to  mix  with  anyone  other  than  your  generals."

               "But  the  generals  are  no  fun  when  it  comes  to  playing," Minako  pouted. "They've  always  said  they  want  to  play  with  me  and  I  always  end  up  with  a  bruise  after  that. They  didn't  even  give  me  a  chance  to  win  like  they  did  with  one  another."

               Miriko  couldn't  help  smiling  a  little  at  the  memory. Poor  princess. Being  the  only  child  in  the  royal  family  and  the  youngest  in  the  palace, she  could  only  turn  to  her  governesses  for  advices  and  sometimes, her  generals  for  their  companies. The  generals  were  always  fooling  around  with  her  and  dragging  her  into  the  training  room  for  a  spar  even  without  her  consent. Miriko  understood  they  were  obligated  to  do  so  but  sometimes, she  felt  the  generals  were  having  a  little  too  much  fun  than  necessary  in  the  progress. Nevertheless, they  were  strict  when  it  came  to  Minako's  daily  trainings, observing  her  every  moves  and  stances  in  order  to  strengthen  her  skills. Especially  when  it  came  to  sparring, which  led  Minako  to  gain  several  bruises  here  and  there, although  not  as  serious  as  she  could  have  gotten  from  a  real  fight. 

               "Well, I  suppose  your  generals  wanted  you  to  learn  from  your  mistakes…"

               "Well, I  don't  want  to  play  with  them  anymore," Minako  told  her  governess  angrily. "I  want  to  play  with  the  other  girls  at  the  park  Hiroko  took  me  last  week. They're  so  nice  to  me  and  they  even  ask  me  to  play  with  them. But  then, Hiroko  has  to  drag  me  away  and  return  back  home."

               "Princess, I  don't  think  it's  possible  for  both  Hiroko  and  I  to  allow  you  to  mix  with  those  girls." Minako  was  about  to  protest  but  Miriko  was  hastened  to  continue, "We  don't  want  to  risk  your  safety  again  and  because  Hiroko  had  bent  to  your  request  last  week, she  had  earned  herself  a  month  of  extra  chores. Thank  goodness  she  was  not  to  be  sent  away, your  father  and  mother  are  still  very  upset  about  that  incident. I  do  not  want  to  lose  their  trust  nor  do  I  want  to  lose  your  friendship  but  I  am  more  obligated  to  your  parents  since  they  put  you  under  my  care. Please  understand, this  is  for  your  own  good."

               Minako  didn't  say  anything  and  reluctantly  followed  Miriko  to  the  palace  garden. As  Miriko  left  the  princess  to  run  a  short  errand, Minako  found  herself  sitting  by  the  lake, gazing  at  it  in  daze  as  she  waited  for  her  governess  to  return. She  wasn't  in  her  usual  mood  today. The  cheerfulness  that  usually  reflected  in  her  eyes  were  dimmed  and  she  was  indeed  miserable. 

               Being  the  only  princess  ever  to  be  borne  with  a  Venusian  blood  had  led  her  parents  to  believe  the  necessity  for  strict  supervision  from  her  daily  routine, to  the  meal  she  consumed  and  the  people  she  associated  with. This  was  not  only  due  to  her  breed. As  one  of  the  planetary  princesses  whose  sole  duty  was  to  serve  for  the  Moon, Minako  was  given  strict  trainings  and  lessons  to  prepare  herself  for  that  very  day  when  her  services  were  in  need. That  purpose  was  kept  a  secret, though. Having  made  an  alliance  with  the  Moon  kingdom  would  be  a  threat  to  those  who  harbored  secret  intentions  of  taking  over  Venus  and  thus, putting  the  Venusian  royalties all  together  in  danger  if  the  alliance  reached  their  ears. Not  even  the  young  princess  understand  it  herself  but  she  reluctantly  went  through  her  trainings  as  she  was  ordered  to  anyway.

               After  waiting  for  about  ten  minutes  or  so, Minako  rose  to  her  feet  and  decided  to  venture  the  garden  on  her  own. As  she  walked  along  the  rows  of  neatly  planted  rose  bushes, a  butterfly  fluttered  above  her  head  for  awhile  before  moving  towards  another  direction. Amazed  and  always  fascinated  with  the  flying  creatures  of colors, she  proceed  to  follow  it, making  several  attempts  to  capture  it  with  her  hands.

               The  butterfly  moved  along  rather  quickly  now  and  Minako  quicken  her  pace  until  she  began  to  run. She  didn't  even  look  to  where  she  was  actually  heading  nor  did  she  care  about  her  surrounding. Until  her  leg  tripped  over  a  large  tree  bark  and  sent  her  sprawling  to  the  ground. She  cried  out  as  pain  spread  through  her  body. She  struggled  to  sit  up  and  realized  her  long  dress  was  torn  and  her  legs  ached  painfully  from  her  fall. Her  knees  began  to  form  dark  patches  of  red  and  her  eyes  widen  in  fear  at  the  discovery.

               The  pain  immediately  throbbed  and  intensified  once  she  tried  to  stand. She  called  out  for  help  but  her  voice  was  cut  short  when  she  finally  took  in  her  unfamiliar  surrounding. She  could  only  guess  her  location, another  deeper  and  secluded  part  of  the  garden  that  she  had  not  had  the  chance  to  explore. At  first, she  let  out  some  light  sniffles  but  unable  to  hold  back  the  pain  that  forcefully  provoke  her  tears, she  brought  her  fists  to  her  eyes  and  began  to  cry  softly  for  her  guardians. 

               "Daijobu."

               Gasping, Minako  looked  up  and  found  a  boy  on  his  knees  right  in  front  of  her, eyeing  her  warily. She  didn't  even  hear  him  approach  and  her  voice  was  stuck  in  her  throat, still  numbed  from  shock. He  couldn't  be  much  older  than  her, perhaps  three  or  four  years  older. Minako  watched  him  with  wary  eyes  as  he  slowly  lifted  her  dress  to  her  knee  length  and  inspected  her  wounds. They  were  still  bleeding  and  Minako  grimaced  slightly  upon  seeing  the  fresh  blood. Without  another  word, the  boy  tore  the  sleeves  of  the  tunic  that  he  wore  and  wrapped  it  around  her  knees  firmly.

               Minako  studied  him  curiously  as  he  tended  her. She  stiffened  a  little  at  his  touch. Her  parents'  warning  about  talking  to  stranger  flashed  in  her  mind  and  she  immediately  tensed  up  upon  having  a  stranger  so  close  to  her. However, his  emerald  eyes  were  so  captivating  that  she  had  momentarily  forgotten  about  it. The  intense  green  orbs   hinted  with  a  tinge  of  light  blue  were  so  beautiful. Although  they  appeared  distant  and  cold, she  noted  the  speck  of  warmth  in  them  when  their  gazes  met  a  moment  ago. She  knew  he  didn't  intend  to  harm  her  in  any  way  yet  she  was  still  dubious. He  didn't  don  any  uniform  like  the  rest  of  her  liveried  generals, servants  and  soldiers. She  failed  to  recognize  him  from  anywhere  so  he  was  definitely  not  one  of  the  palace's  occupants. Who  was  he  then? Where  did  he  come  from? How  did  he  get  into  the  palace?

               "There," the  young  boy  said  gently  after  he  was  finished. 

Her  knees  were  neatly  bandaged  from  the  sleeves  of  his  tunic, stained  with  faint  patches  of  her  blood. He  was  almost  sleeveless  now  and  the  weather h ad  been  chilling  for  the  past  few  days  but  that  didn't  seem  to  bother  him  at  all. She  was  speechless, uncertain  of  the  appropriate  respond  to  his  kindness, taking  into  consideration  the  fact  that  he  was  a  stranger  that  could  easily  be  a  threat  to  her. 

               Seeing  that  she  was  still  silence  and  misunderstanding  this  as  fear, the  boy's  hand  slowly  reached  towards  one  of  the  blooming  roses  nearby  and  before  she  could  stop  him, he  placed  it  gently  behind  her  ear. Minako  blushed  at  his  gesture  and  couldn't  help  smiling  a  little. He  studied  her  for  awhile, giving  her  a  very  brief  yet  unmistakably  a  small  smile  before  nodding  and  began  to  walk  away. 

               "Chotto  matte," Minako  exclaimed, staggering  to  her  feet  as  well  but  didn't  proceed  to  run  after  him. 

               The  boy  stopped  abruptly  from  his  tracks  and  turned  his  head  questioningly. 

               "What  is  your  name?" she  asked  timidly, suddenly  feeling  a  little  embarrassed  at  her  boldness.

Surprisingly, that  question  seemed  to  throw  him  off  and  Minako  noticed  his  startled  expression  before  he  regained  his  composure  and  studied  her  thoughtfully, as  though  trying  to  determine  her  sincerity. 

"I  don't  have  a  name," he  said  finally. "But  you  may  call  me  Nanashi." 

With  that, he  turned  and  began  to  walk  away. Minako  watched  him  until  his  back  disappeared, not  understanding  why  the  sight  made  her  felt  strangely, unaccountably  melancholy. 

During  the  following  year, he  watched  as  nature  collaborated  with  time  and  the  princess's  youthful  face  filled  all  its  former  promise  of  vivid  beauty. Unknown  to  her, he  had  always  been  by  her  side, hidden  in  the  shadows  and  never  too  far  away  for  her  to  reach. It  was  never  his  intention, though, to  spare  even  a  glance  at  her  yet  there  were  several  times  that  he  could  not  help  but  steal  a  glimpse  or  two  whenever  she  was  in  sight. It  was  not  only  her  beauty  that  was  enchanting  but  he  began  to  grow  accustom  to  her  infectious  laughter, her  warm  smile, her  melodic  voice  and  most  importantly, her  personality. He  was  careful  not  to  let  any  triggering  emotion  rule  his  mind  and  distracted  him  from  his  missions. Not  that  it  was  a  problem  in  the  first  place. 

Until  several  years  later.

********************************************************************************************

               Trowa  placed  the  unconscious  Minako  on  the  sofa, very  gently  as  to  not  increase  her  movement  that  might  add  anymore  discomfort  to  her  current  state. During  the  attack, Trowa  and  Quatre  had  managed  to  fled  the  scene, leaving  the  rest  of  his  comrades  to  deal  with  the  girls  as  expected. Instead  of  going  further  into  the  city, they  boys  had  decided  to  hide  in  a  clothes  store  several  blocks  away  from  the  scene  while  contemplating  their  next  move. 

Quatre  watched  with  wary  eyes  at  the  rare  gentleness  in  Trowa's  movement  and  the  slight  creased  on  his  forehead  as  he  examined  the  girl, making  sure  that  her  bleeding  had  stopped. Upon  noticing  Quatre's  scrutiny, however, Trowa  quickly  composed  himself  and  turned  away  from  the  girl. Whatever  feelings  he  bore  for  her  a  few  seconds  ago  were   instantly  dismissed  and  crushed  beneath  his  stony  features  and  grace  as  rose  to  his  feet  and  casually  went  over  to  the  display  window  to  peer  outside, checking  for  any  sign  of  danger  or  enemy  approaching.

Quatre  was  silence, his  brain  wracking  desperately  for  an  opening  to  the  one  topic  he  was  eager  to  discuss. As  though  sensing  Quatre's  anticipation  for  an  explanation, Trowa  reluctantly  turned  to  the  blonde  boy  and  his  gaze  softened  when  their  eyes  met. A  silent  message  was  exchanged  between  those  two, very  vague  yet  clear  enough  for  both  to  interpret. Understanding  dawn  across  Quatre's  features  as  he  studied  Trowa's  expression, his  soft  gaze  pleading  for  the  blonde  boy  not  to  ask  of  something  he  wasn't  sure  of  nor  judge  him  from  the  matter  that  hardly  justified  his  ordeal.

Turning  away, Trowa  put  his  gun  into  safety  and  stared  blankly  at  the  empty  city. He  could  see  several  people  began  to  emerge, although  most  of  them  still  appeared  rather  frightened  to  do  so  prior  to  the  explosion. However, those  who  were  brave  enough  to  resume  back  to  their  previous  chores  appeared  surprisingly  calmed, as  though  explosions  and  possible  demonic  attacks  occurred  everyday  in  their  lives. 

Suddenly, Quatre's  small  cry  broke  his  thoughts. He  whipped  his  head  in  alarm  and  found  the  blonde  Arabian  staring  anxiously  at  what  appeared  to  be  a  mirror  somewhere  at  the  far  corner  of  the  store, almost  hidden  in  the  shadow. While  Quatre's  expression  twisted  into  a  mixture  of  horrified  and  dubious, his  palms  were  pressed  against  the  mirror, moving  it  back  and  forth  to  ensure  his  eyes  did  not  betrayed  him. 

"Kat?" Trowa  asked, frowning. He  went  over  to  his  friend, trying  to  get  a  glimpse  of  Quatre's  reflection  in  the  mirror  that  seemed  to  torment  the  blonde  boy. Quatre  was  completely  blocking  his  view  yet  Trowa  could  not  tell  what  was  had  caused  such  distress  on  his  friend.

"Looks  like  we  have  another  problem  to  worry  about," Quatre  said  softly.

Minako  sighed  contently  in  Ace's  arms. It  had  been  so  long  since  she  felt  this  way. Nothing  mattered  anymore. Not  her  friends, her  duty, her  past…

All  of  a  sudden, a  gunshot  rang  in  her  ears. Her  eyes  flew  opened  and  when  she  looked  up  at  Ace, his  features  were  contorted  in  pain  and  he  was  suddenly  yanked  back  by  an  unseen  force, forcing  him  to  let  her  go. 

Minako  stared  in  horror  at  the  blood  that   began  to  form  on  his  chest  before  feeling  a  sharp  pain  on  her  waist. Her  hands  wrapped  around  herself  in  reflex  to  the  invincible  assault  and  when  she  slowly  loosen  her  grip, she  could  see  a  gash  of  blood  that  slowly  began  to  leak  at  the  side  of  her  waist. 

Her  eyes  were  wide  in  fear  at  that  sight. Her  hands  were  already  stained  with  her  blood  and  she  fought  the  bile  rising  in  her  throat. The  air  suddenly  reeked  with  the  smell  of  her  bloody  wound, her  nostril  was  stung  by  it  yet  she  could  not  do  anything  to  stop  the  smell, the  blood  from  pouring  and  trickling  endless  to  the  ground  and  the  agonizing  pain…

Minako's  eyes  flew  opened  and  she  expelled  a  long  breath. Her  chest  was  heaving  and  her  lungs  were  aching  for  air. She  felt  slightly  dizzy  and  as  she  forced  herself  to  sit  up, a  shot  of  pain  penetrated  her  dazed  mind  into  complete  consciousness  and  a  cry  of  pain  automatically  tore  her  lips. 

Grazing  her  teeth  in  pain, she  glanced  down  to  inspect  her  ordeal  and  was  astonished  to  find  a  gash  of  red  blood  staining  her  waist. At  the  exact  moment, a  rush  of  frightening  emotions  flooded  her  mind, the  impact  was  so  great  it  almost  threw  her  into  oblivion. She  could  see  Ace's  face  contorted  in  pain  and  her  own  wound  flashing  across  her  eyes. The  faint  smell  of  dried  blood  on  her  wound  grew  intense  all  of  a  sudden, almost  suffocating  her. Her  throat  tightened  with  fear, her  breath  became  ragged  as  she  tried  vainly  to  push  away  the  overwhelming  mixture  of  fear  and  despair, stirring  the  agonizing  memories  of  her  past.

Her  cry  suddenly  broke  the  silence  of  the  store, startling  the  two  pilots  who  were  previously  studying  their  'reflection'. Trowa  spun  around  and  was  astonished  to  find  his  princess  already  in  consciousness. He  was  relieved, though  to  know  that  at  least  she  did  not  suffered  any  concussion  yet  her  body  was  shaking  in  fear. She  appeared  to  be  staring  blankly  at  her  own  blood  and  from  the  terror  in  her  eyes, Trowa  could  tell  it  was  more  than  just  the  sight  of  her  wound  that  caused  her  such  despair.

"Princess," he  blurted  out  tenderly  before  he  could  stop  himself. 

The  blonde  girl  whirled  her  head  and  was  visibly  shocked  to  find  him  there. Not  wanting  to  increase  anymore  discomfort  than  she  already  had, he  was  about  to  explain  the  situation  to  her  until  the  display  window  of  the  store  shattered  from  the  impact  of  Sailor  Mars'  body  being  hauled  against  it. 

"MARS!!" Minako  cried  in  alarm, forcing  herself  to  her  feet  and  went  over  to  her  friend's  limp  form  on  the  ground. Instead  of  passing  out, Sailor  Mars  quickly  recovered  from  her  predicament. Her  eyes  were  burning  with  so  much  rage  that  Minako  herself  was  almost  scared. However, when  Sailor  Mars's  eyes  landed  on  Minako, her  gaze  softened.

"Mina, y-you're  alright," she  gushed  in  relief  before  flinched  in  pain  as  she  tried  to  move. 

Minako  nodded  as  she  helped  her  friend  to  stand. "Daijobu, but  what  happen? What's  going  on?"

Before  any  explanation  could  be  given, Duo  suddenly  emerged, standing  arrogantly  at  the  display  window  with  his  gun. At  the  sound  of  Duo's  presence, Minako  whipped  her  head  so  fast  she  thought  it  might  snap. Duo  didn't  expect  to  find  Minako  there  and  he  was  even  more  startled  to  find  her  by  the  enemy's  side.

"Mina, b-be  careful," Sailor  Mars  warned, her  eyes  narrowing  to  slits  as  she  glared  at  Duo  who  looked  taken  aback  by  the  accusation. "He  and  his  friends…" She  tossed  another  glare  to  Trowa  and  Quatre. "…tried  to  abduct  you…"

Trowa  mentally  cursed. He  did  not  expect  this  sudden  turn  of  events  and  he  certainly  did  not  need  anymore  complications  on  this  matter  which  was  becoming  more  complex  by  the  minute. He  could  already  foresee  the  ramifications  and  the  severity  of  his  friends'  misunderstood  actions  and  he  needed  to  remedy  it  fast  before  another  unnecessary  battle  broke  out.

Noticing  Minako's  stricken  expression  when  she  turned  to  him, silently  pleading  for  explanation, Trowa  was  stung  by  the  false  accusation.

"Chotto, we  didn't  try  to  abduct  you," Quatre  suddenly  protested. "It's  not  what  you  all  think  it  is.."

"Yeah, it  was  his  idea  to  save  you  from  that  beast  of  a  man  you  called  Ace," Duo  intruded, motioning  his  head  towards  Trowa. Then  paused  as  he  tried  to  recall  the  correct  name  of  the  enemy. "Or  Spade…or  something…And  that's  gratitude  for  ya!"

"Ace?" Minako  whispered, the  former occasion  of  her  unexpected  encounter  with  Ace  slowly  registered  in  her  mind, bringing  along  a  pang  of  sorrow  and  what  displeased  Trowa  the  most, a  sense  of  longing  in  her  tone. Glancing  back  at  Trowa, she  threw  him  a  wild  look  of  desperation. She  was  bungled  with  question  of  his  knowledge  of  her  former  lover  but  when  she  met  Trowa's  emerald  green  eyes, her  voice  was  suddenly  caught  in  her  throat, unable  her  to  speak. His  eyes  had  grown  cold  all  of  a  sudden  and  she  felt  the  sting  of  his  stare  penetrating  her  soul, daring  her  to  trudge  the  boarder  of  his  patience. 

Trowa  had  instantly  grew  distant  at  the  mention  of  Ace's  name, arousing  bitter  feelings  of  jealousy  in  him. He  saw  no  point  in  denying  those  emotions  anymore. The  intensity  of  those  alien  emotions  surprised  him. The  feelings  he  harbored  for  the  past  several  hours  had  summarized  his  emotions  in  his  entire  life  and  those  were  hardly  overwhelming  or  worth  a  distraction.

"We  didn't  intend  to  harm  you  or  your  friends," he  stated  finally, deliberately  evading  her  pleading. "It's  all  a  misunderstanding."

Sailor  Mars  looked  doubtful. "And  how  do  we  know  whether  you're  telling  the  truth? Your  bumbling  idiot  of  a  friend  here  nearly  kill  me, not  to  mention  my  other  friends  out  there  who's  currently  being  physically  abused  by  your  companions!" 

"You  attack  us  first," Duo  argued  in  defense. "It's  natural  that  we  retaliate. Thanks  to  your  flying  fireballs, my  braid  is  an  inch  shorter…not  to  mention  those  split  ends…

"Really?" Sailor  Mars  cried  incredulously. "Then  I  suggest  you  better  keep  them  away  from  me  'cause  there's  a  lot  more  I  can  do  than  just  split  ends!"

As  the  verbal  combat  ensued, Minako  turned  back  to  Trowa. A  moment  of  silence  was  exchanged  between  those  two, each  battling  to  control  their  racing  emotions  when  their  gazes  were  locked. Despite  his  cold  and  impassive  features, Minako  felt  a  stirring  tenderness  in  his  eyes, urging  her  to  trust  him  completely.

"Mina," Sailor  Mars  interrupted, prompting  Minako  to  break  her  gaze. "I  need  some  help  here. If  you  could  just  transform  and  assist  me  in  kicking  their  butts, I'm  sure  we  can  speed  things  up  a  bit."

"No," Minako  refused  weakly, startled  to  find  how  shaky  her  voice  was.

Sailor  Mars'  eyes  grew  wide. "No? What  do  you  mean  'no'?"

"Rei, I  don't  think  they're  our  enemies," Minako  stated  softly, at  the  same  time  trying  desperately  to  compile  her  thoughts  to  explain  why  she  had  came  up  with  such  conclusions.

Trowa  and  Quatre  hid  a  relief  sigh  as  Duo  exclaimed  victoriously, "Yea, listen  to  the  pretty  lady!" 

Ignoring  the  others, Sailor  Mars  stared  fixedly  at  her  friend. "Mina, you  don't  know  what  you're  saying. Look  at  them, they've  got  guns! You're  even  bleeding, for  god's  sake! Who  knows  what  other  harms  they  could  have  done?"

               Minako's  hand  instinctively  went  to  her  waist, feeling  her  blood  slowly  staining  her  hand  and  wincing  in  pain  at  the  reminder. Yet  despite  the  situation  and  whatever  evident  regarding  the  boys' stand  she  would  obtain, she  did  not  want  to  fight  them  at  all. Especially  that  young  man  with  the  most  beautiful  shade  of  emerald  green  eyes. It  was  not  only  the  fact  that  he  possessed  some  valuable  information  about  Ace  but  also  his  kindheartedness  that  prevented  her  from  making  any  rash  decision  about  the  boys'  stand. She  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  his  concern  the  moment  she  came  into  and  found  her  bleeding, all  at  once  revealing  another  rare  nature  of  his  that  contradicted  with  his  cold  and  currently  distant  behavior. He  must  had  saved  her  somehow, she  decided, feeling  a  surge  of  tenderness  swept  over  her. In  the  space  of  ten  seconds, all  those  revelation  filled  her  mind. Even  so, she  was  unable  to  come  up  with  an  appropriate  conclusion  because  there  were  too  many  possibilities  and  unanswered  questions  hanging. A  stinging  sensation  wormed  its  way  into  her  thoughts, distracting  her  momentarily  but  she  ignored  the  warning  of  her  condition  and  her  friend's  demanding  stare.

               Minako  shifted  her  gaze  to  Trowa, her  eyes  desperately  pleading  while  her  heart  began  to  race  in  impatience. She  bit  her  bottom  lip, suppressing  the  urge  to  demand  furiously  and  burst  if  she  failed  to  squeeze  the  answers  out  of  him. For  years  she  had  been  struggling  to  keep  her  emotions  at  bay  and  straightened  her  priorities  in  life, figuring  she  had  at  least  sort  out  her  past  and  moved  on  to  a  better  path  in  life.  Now  everything  in  her  life  seemed  out  of  control  and  she  desperately  wanted  to  remedy  that.

               "How  did  you  know  Ace?" she  inquired  softly, taking  a  step  towards  him. Trowa  frowned  in  a  mixture  of  reluctance, disapproval  and  guilt  as  she  took  another  step. "Please, tell  me  how  do  you  know  him. He…he's  suppose  to  be  dead  four  years  ago  so  how  did…how  is  he  still  here? You  know  something, don't  you? Please  tell  me  you  know  something."

               Trowa  detected  the  wincing  in  her  voice  at  each  step  she  took  and  realized  her  wound  had  began  to  bleed  due  to  the  excessiveness  of  her  movements. Several  drops  had  even  trickled  to  the  floor  but  she  didn't  seem  to  care  or  even  notice  her  condition  had  worsen. 

               "No, I  don't," Trowa  admitted  softly  as  she  stood  face-to-face  from  him. "I  don't  even  know  him. You  better  not  move  so  much, you're  still  bleeding…" 

               "But  he  knows  you!" Minako  cried  stubbornly, her  tone  rising  to  higher  octave  as  her  hands  immediately  clutched  Trowa's  shirt, seemingly  in  a  manner  to  strangle  him. Trowa  didn't  react  to  her  sudden  aggressiveness, merely  eyeing  her  warily  at  her  outburst. "He  knows  you, he  said  he  wanted  to  get  back  at  you! Tell  me  what  do  you  know  about  Ace!"

               "Miss, please  calm  down," Quatre  started  to  rush  over  to  Trowa  but  the  Heavyarms  pilot  pinned  him  with  a  warning  look  from  the  corner  of  his  eye, telling  him  to  stay  away. Trowa  gripped  her  tiny  fists  and  held  them  firmly  in  his. Immediately  her  body  tensed  up  and  she  froze  at  his  reaction. He  seized  this  moment  to  study  the  wild  look  of  desperation  in  her  features. Her  eyes  were  shimmering  with  tears  that  threatened  to  spill, her  face  flushed  from  a  mixture  of  anger  and  disappointment, her  quivering  lips  half  opened  in  a  manner  of  invitation. He  didn't  like  at  all  what  he  was  seeing, not  when  someone  else  was  capable  of  attaining  this  sort  of  reaction  from  her.

               All  of  a  sudden, Minako's  body  went  limp  and  she  fell  against  him. Alarmed, he  caught  her  and  when  his  hand  slid  around  her  waist, he  felt  her  something  warm  and  sticky  pooling  around  his  hand. Her  blood  began  to  drip  instantly  and  splattered  on  the  ground. The  others  in  the  room  gasped  at  that  sight  but  at  this  particular  moment, Trowa  hardly  realized  their  presences. 

               "Daijobu  ka?" he  demanded, shaking  her  slightly. Her  body  shifted  and  she  moaned  as  her  eyes  opened  half  lid. She  looked  at  him  in  daze  briefly  before  she  passed  out  but  that  was  enough  for  Trowa  to  interpret  the  meaning  in  her  eyes  that  was  desperately  trying  to  reach  out  to  him. More  precisely, that  was  searching  his  eyes  for  answers, for  relief  from  the  puzzling  state  she  was  in. 

               "Get  your  hands  off  her!" Sailor  Mars  suddenly  exclaimed, breaking  Trowa's  trance. She  hurried  over  to  him  and  tried  to  pry  Minako's  limp  body  from  Trowa. "It's  your  fault  she's  hurt! She's…"

               "We  don't  have  time  for  this," Trowa  retorted, his  gaze  hardened  as  he  pulled  her  closer  to  him. "She  needs  a  doctor, she's  lost  too  much  blood  already." 

               Sailor  Mars'  couldn't  deny  the  hurt  in  his  voice  and  she  hesitated, still  unsure  if  she  could  trust  the  boys  or  not. However, before  she  could  make  up  her  mind, the  sound  of  siren  broke  her  thoughts. A  blurry  flash  of  red  and  blue  rushed  passed  the  store, most  likely  heading  towards  the  battlefield  where  their  comrades  were. Sailor  Mars'  silently  cursed. As  much  as  she  wanted  the  boys  out  of  the  way, there  were  still  too  many  unsolved  puzzles  and  if  the  police  were  to  interfere, things  would  definitely  be  much  more  complicated. Those  boys  might  be  humans  but  judging  by  their  skills,  they  were  mostly  likely  capable  of  as  much  damage  as  the  next  youma. Surely  a  bunch  of  police  officers  could  not  hold  them  down. And  seeing  the  tender  yet  possessive  way  this  guy  was  holding  Minako, Sailor  Mars  was  quite  certain  she  wasn't  going  to  get  her  friend  back  without  a  serious  fight. Which  she  can't  afford  at  this  moment.

               As  she  evaluate  the  ramifications  and  severity  of  the  situation, she  came  to  a  rather  disturbing  conclusion  which  placed  her  in  a  tight  spot. She  sighed  in  resignation  as  she  noted  the  amount  of  witnesses  and  police  officers  clustering  outside. It  was  only  a  matter  of  time  before  they  discovered  their  presences  in  this  store. Quatre  was  obviously  concerned  about  the  arrival  of  anymore  unwanted  attention  while  Duo  was  already  sharing  various  plans  of  escape  in  less  than  two  minutes, which  was  quite  impressive  for  a  guy  whose  at  the  verge  of  being  convicted. 

               Suddenly, the  screech  of  a  car  brake  jarred  their  thoughts  and  their  gazes  instantly  fixed  at  a  green  convertible  stopping  shortly  across  the  store. Instinctively, Trowa  held  Minako  possessively  to  him  as  he  inspected  the  driver  but  he  only  manage  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  her  wavy, turquoise  hair  cascading  down  her  shoulders  and  her  bright, green  eyes  looking  directly  at  them. 

               "Michiru!" Sailor  Mars  exclaimed  with  unconcealed  surprise. 

"Hurry  up  and  get  in  the  car, all  of  you!" Michiru  ordered, glancing  briefly  behind  her. Sailor  Mars  wanted  to  object  but  she  knew  better  than  to  argue  the  Outers, seeing  as  they  had  vast  experience  in  dealing  with  this  sort  of  encounter. That  and  because  she  had  a  sudden  hunch  that  they  had  some  explanations  regarding  the  recent  happenings. 

"Hey, who  are  you?" Duo  asked, narrowing  his  eyes  in  suspicion. "How  do  we  know  you're  not  against  us?"

"You  just  have  to  trust  me," Michiru  insisted. "Besides, I  don't  think  you  have  much  of  a  choice  anyway. I'm  sure  your  friends  won't  appreciate  the  amount  of  patrol  cars  being  sent  after  them."

With  that, Duo  reluctantly  crossed  the  room  and  got  into  the  passenger  seat, followed  by  the  rest. Sailor  Mars  was  not  used  to  being  towed  into  a  cramp  vehicle  and  sped  away  until  the  view  became  a  passing  blur  so  she  was  practically  clinging  to  her  seat, trying  desperately  to  stay  still  instead  of  being  lurched  ahead  or  towards  their  sides. The  boys, on  the  other  hand  were  accustomed  to  this  sort  of  speed, having   gone  through  much  reckless  driving  under  two  particular  pilots  who  seemed  oblivious  to  the  laws  established  and  much  dangerous  piloting  experience. 

"Michiru, could  you  at  least  slow  down  a  little?" Sailor  Mars  said  warily, forgetting  momentarily  that  she  was  cramped  in  a  car  with  her  previous  opponents. 

"Sorry, but  we  gotta  leave  before  more  patrol  cars  and  reporters  arrived," Michiru  replied  casually, her  calm  and  cool  expression  differed  the  seriousness  of  the  situation  that  had  placed  themselves  in. "We  need  to  get  Minako  treated  as  soon  as  possible  anyway."

She  glanced  at  Duo  who  was  sitting  at  the  passenger  sit  and  smirked. "You  boys  must  have  been  quite  a  something  to  cause  such  a  commotion." Duo  hesitated  and  managed  a  nervous  chuckle, still  wary  at  the  intensity  of  her  speeding. "By  the  way, my  name's  Kaioh  Michiru." 


	9. chapter nine

A TOUCH OF EMOTION A TOUCH OF EMOTION

By : angelofvenusl3

AN: Please forgive me for the lack of update but I hope you guys will like this chapter, even though it's shorter than I intended. But I still plan on finishing this fic. Anyway, enjoy.

**CHAPTER NINE **

Trowa peered out the window, gazing blankly at the beauty spread across from him. Streaks of purple, orange and red blended perfectly in the sky while the sun had glowed into dark orange and slowly descending between the tall trees, moving painfully slow to reach its horizon.

Despite his usual quiet admiration of the beauty and the calm serenity it provided, he was unusually tensed. His eyes swept blankly across the view yet he was still unable to appreciate what his sense had fed. There was too much on his mind, leaving no more room for anything else and this made him unusually restless. His friends were scattered in various position behind him, sharing and conducting their own speculation of the previous events.

Michiru had explained to them very briefly about the Senshi and their duty to protect the city. Duo and Quatre had responded positively, albeit a little disorientated while the others barely responded at all. Instead, they had demanded an explanation towards practically every event linked to their predicaments which eventually, led them back to Trowa's own involvement. Trowa stuck to his belief, ensuring them with very little but very convincing speech that he had no recollection of Ace, still carefully concealing any evidence of his dreams of the princess.

However, Setsuna had insisted that those involved in the battle get their injuries treated first while she tended to Minako. Michiru sent them to one of the guest room and offered them several first aid kits for their convenience, which they gratefully used to their own necessity.

Trowa's only injury was the gash on his arm so he had that treated very quickly. Wufei had a bandage placed on his left shoulder courtesy of Sailor Moon's angry attack after his provoking remarks. Heero had gotten his hands injured when he tried to block Sailor Mercury's blasts of ice and several bruises on his chest but nothing too major for him to be concerned about. Duo, too had gained minor bruises and burns from his battle with the fiery Sailor Mars. And apparently a serious case of split-ends which he intended to get his hair treated right after everything went back to normal.

Earlier, Trowa had caught a glimpse of the Senshi piling into the room where Minako was currently being treated but since Michiru left them in the another guest room, he hadn't heard anything about his princess. It had been almost one hour and a half since then and he was getting impatient already. He knew for a fact his princess was not in a serious condition to require any blood transfusion but he would still prefer if someone confirmed that for him.

Suppressing a frustrated sigh, he turned away from the window and leaned against the glass, staring blankly at the door. He felt so tired, tired of fighting and discovering shocking details but mostly, he was tired of this new baggage of emotions he acquired after each shocking discovery and his efforts to deny each of those emotions were apparently pointless as they came back attacking him more violently than ever.

"Best that you don't stand too close to the window," Heero told him quietly, his hands typing furiously at his laptop on the desk. "You're giving him more the enough chance to kill you."

"I'll take my chances," Trowa replied as he crossed his arms. "He's not likely to attack, anyway, it's too risky at this stage."

Duo suddenly let out a yawn as his upper body fell heavily on the bed. "When do you think the girls will remember we're here?" he asked, stretching himself and crossing his arms behind his head, quietly enjoying the feel of soft sheet under him. "We still need them to send us back home, we have a party to conduct."

"It's not that simple," Wufei stated from the corner, flipping through a book from the shelf next to him. "They won't send us back until we help them sort out their problems."

"How'd you get that?" Duo queried, frowning at the ceiling.

"A combination of warrior's instinct and common sense," came the Chinese man's flat reply.

"They seem to know about our presence long before we were transported here," Quatre provided as he took out one of the books from the shelf. "Perhaps they are responsible for it after all. If they're desperate enough to transfer us here, they must need our help for some reason."

"But Trowa's the one being after," Duo pointed out.

"We have the same enemies," Heero replied, typing furiously on his keyboard. "So I'm guessing we're helping each other out." Then, his frown deepened as he leaned back, studying the screen intensely. "It's confirmed."

"What?" echoed Quatre and Duo simultaneously.

"We're definitely on Earth."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Haven't we came to that conclusion awhile ago?"

"It doesn't hurt to confirm these things," Heero retorted. "We're on Earth but it's not the one we live in. It seems as if we're in a different world here because I can't detect any of the resource satellites from anywhere around, among other things I failed to detect."

"But I thought your laptop has malfunctioned," Wufei pointed out, looking up from the book with a puzzled frown.

"I thought so, too," Heero muttered. "With the right adjustment and additional gadgets, I think I can get it fix to suit this….world's technology. But it also confirm we've lost permanent contact from home and there's no possible way to get it back."

"Sheesh, never knew women could be such a handful, ne, Trowa?" Duo drawled. When Trowa didn't respond, Duo dragged himself into a sitting position and shifted his gaze to the taller pilot who currently had his eyes fixed at the door. "Trowa?" Quatre and Wufei looked up from their books and glanced at Trowa.

Unaware of his friends' puzzled stares and completely oblivious to their conversations, Trowa was absorbed in his own thoughts. He wondered if his concern for this princess was any similar to his concern for his sister and friends. Perhaps if he could convince himself that, then maybe he wouldn't be so confused and lost, a vulnerable state which he rarely found himself in. However, no matter how hard he tried to deny it, he knew a part of him opposed strongly to that notion. His princess clearly meant a lot to him somehow, seeing as he had a difficult time trying to let her go. And he had no idea why. He disliked feeling so clueless and helpless in this seemingly crucial situation. It made him feel weak and exposed. His past memory as a child flashed briefly in his mind and his hands instinctively gripped the windowsill. His features hardened into granite yet deep beneath his emerald eyes, embedded a swarm of insecurities which he had carefully blocked over the past years. Now they were slowly coming into surface, threatening to engulf him again as they did when he was a child. Instinctively, his grips on the windowsill tightened as he tried to suppress his impatience.

Under normal circumstances, obviously without the involvement of any demonic powers, he had never let his patience thinned and he was always in the position to decide and reassess strategies carefully, at least when he was not suffering from amnesia. Back then, he didn't have much difficulties in controlling his emotions. He always made certain to detach himself from becoming too close to anyone in case he might develop any feelings which would jeopardize his missions. So naturally, he was taken aback by this swarm of overwhelming feelings that clouded his mind everytime when he thought about her, his princess. He simply didn't expect he was capable to experience such sensation. It was so foreign but achingly familiar at the same time. How could that be? Since when did he become so emotionally involved in anything? This confusion was deeply unsettling and it was clearly beginning to affect his judgment on the situation.

He drew in a deep breath to suppress his escalating frustration. His attempt was pointless, though as it only seemed to add more worries to his threatening position. _Enough is enough_, he decided angrily. He had to figure out the problem soon or he would seriously face the same conflict when he was under Zero's influence, to say the least. The urge to tear down the door, grab the nearest Senshi and pump her for information became very, very tempting.

As though reading his mind, Heero admonished his friend grimly without looking, "Don't even think about it." After a distinct pause, Heero finally turned his piercing gaze to Trowa and added gravely, "You are the last person we expect to lose his head over his own emotions. But at this moment, I don't think you're composed enough to form any kind of decisions that would suit the situation well, much less remedy it. So just be patient for now because we do not need anymore unnecessary battle."

With that, Trowa loosened his grip on the windowsill, his expression softened just slightly in resignation. Heero was right, he realized solemnly. He wasn't one to act without thinking but his current state of distress unable him to analyze his situation and reassess his plans properly.

Suddenly, a soft knock broke his thoughts and Trowa looked expectantly as the door opened to reveal Michiru holding a tray of mugs. The pilots straightened themselves and Heero swiftly closed his laptop before transferring his gaze to her.

Smiling, she entered the room with such grace it seemed as though she was floating. "Here," she said warmly as she placed the tray on the desk next to Heero's laptop. "I thought you guys might need some refreshments." When the pilots hesitated, she let out a chuckle and added, "Regardless of what you may think, you boys are not prisoners here."

"We're not guests either, Miss Kaioh," Quatre pointed out politely, though he did offer her an appreciative smile.

"Perhaps not under the appropriate circumstances," Michiru replied with a lighthearted smile. "After all, you guys are not accustomed to fighting demons like we are." Then, noticing a pair of concerned green eyes staring at her back, Michiru turned and regarded Trowa warmly. "Don't worry, she's alright. Fortunately her condition doesn't require her to undergo blood transfusion." After a pause, she added, "I gather you wish to see her?"

"Is she in the condition to receive any visitors?" Trowa asked quietly with guarded hope.

"Let's find out," Michiru suggested, giving him a knowing glance before turning away to leave, silently beckoning him to follow.

Minako slowly opened her eyes, blinking in confusion at the moonlight filtering through the drapes. Her head ached dully and she felt strangely, unaccountably melancholy. She frowned, staring dazedly at the ceiling as she tried to understand the anxiousness and despair that seemed to be weighing her down. And in that instant, the memory penetrated her sleep-fogged consciousness.

Dragging herself into a sitting position, she finally took note of her surrounding, immediately recognizing the familiar room belonging to the Outers. Dizziness washed over her but she was so warped up in her confusion that it seemed only a minor obstacle hardly worth her attention. Raised voices were instantly heard behind the door but she barely registered their presence. Her mind was racing frantically for answers and she was about to toss her quilt aside when a jolt of pain shot through her from her waist, preventing her from further movements that might reopen her wound. She gritted her teeth, whimpering as her hands instantly flew to her wound in a futile attempt to stop the pain. The shocking encounter and the violent tide of her emotions, all came colliding head on with the reality of the present, dragging along her pain from the past and forcing them into the surface as well. The intensity of those mixtures frightened her so much that she began to shake. Her emotions seemed to manifest into her wound and her pain intensified, forcing her tears to the surface.

Suddenly, the room seemed to grow even darker than before, everything appeared menacing and the walls were slowly closing in on her. Heavy silence reigned upon the room, the murmurs had faded completely and leaving her alone to face the solitude darkness. Her emotions began careening crazily between puzzle, dread, despair and fear, rebounding from one near calamity to the next narrow escape. The combination became so intense she was literally dizzy and her body felt like lead.

_Is this the destiny of a Senshi?_ a strangled voice demanded in her head. To protect the Moon princess at all cost, without any regards to her own happiness? Is this how her life is supposed to be? Based on duties? She squeezed her eyes and clamped her hands to her ears, trying to shut out those faint yet persistent voices which had aroused her doubts and unfolded the rest of her fears. Once again, she was lost, lost in her own insecurities. Her throat tightened as tears sprang to her blue eyes, trickling down her cheeks and forming tiny patches on the quilt. Her mind was clawing for deliverance, for a light to guide her, to remind her who she really was. Her chest constricted as she began to sob earnestly, mentally crying for help and trying to reach out for someone, anyone to save her from this lonely feeling.

A sliver of light fell onto her features, breaking the darkness of the room and she looked up in surprise to find the door opened. A tall, dark figure stood in the doorway, whom Minako recognized as the man earlier with the beautiful eyes. There was a frozen moment as these two met for the first time since their bitter encounter. Struggling to compose herself, her heart pounded furiously in her chest as he slowly closed the door behind him and crossed the room to her bed, all the while his emerald green eyes leveled on her tearstained face. She figured he was studying her, probably sympathizing her for some reason. His face remained impassive, though and his graceful movement exerted an intimidating aura she had learned to recognize fairly well by now. All of a sudden, she became very tensed. Questions of various events and his true intention were at the tip of her tongue but she couldn't speak, her mind was numbed and her body froze on the spot as he sat with gentle caution on the side of her bed. Their bodies were only inches away from touching and despite herself, she blushed when she discovered their closeness and the intensity of his stare burning into her eyes.

When he made no attempt to converse, Minako opened her mouth to speak but the slow, deliberate movement of his hand reaching out to her halted her intention. His thumb brushed the remnants her tears, his light touches caused her body to tense up and sent tingles of electricity down her spine. She was so utterly shock by his gesture that she didn't even realize his face was now only inches away. Tenderness and compassion softened his expression. She stared in puzzle into his emerald eyes, and discovered another nature of his which he confined only to those he trusted.

"Daijobu," he whispered soothingly to her.

His word was gentle, uttered so soft it could have easily came from the wind. Yet she heard it clearly and his silky voice caressed her. A sense of warmth and comfort slowly invaded her soul, filling it with pleasure and tempting promises to which she didn't even know the contents but it had swiftly eased her fears. However, there was more than just his concern gesture that moved her. There was a sense of familiarity to this pattern that she had experienced with him before. It seemed like he was the only one who could comfort and soothe her with very small gestures and even fewer words.

Puzzled, she made another attempt to speak but her voice was caught in her throat the minute she felt his hands sliding around her waist and pulled her closer to him until her cheek was pressed against his chest. Her body tensed up a bit, then she began to relax and hold onto him, savoring the moment as much as she could. At that point, all her troubled thoughts seemed so far away. The feeling of being held in his arms stirred new sensations within her and she liked that feeling. Sighing wistfully, she rested her forehead on the crook of his neck, praying quietly that this feeling would last at least a little more longer than it should.

Trowa tightened his hold on her, as if he could absorb her hurt by holding her closer. His heart ached when he realized her present state of vulnerability and distress. It seemed lately that everytime he thought about her she seemed to be upset. Although he didn't seem surprise to witness her inner conflict, he didn't like what he was seeing. As a matter of fact, he hated it. Before he entered the room, he had heard her sobbing behind the door and his first reaction was to pull her into his arms and kiss her tears away, telling her over and over again everything would be alright. It was an irony, though, given the fact that he had no idea the severity of his position and his own vulnerable state.

As she rested on his shoulder, he felt a surge of content, joy and relief having her in his arms. These feelings he felt for her suddenly didn't seem so threatening anymore. It was strange but something inside him seemed to banish whatever suspicions and doubts he felt. He had never felt so secure before in his life. He belonged in her arms, he belonged with her like this, he could sense the familiarity of this overwhelming sensation stirring in him. It felt so right ….


End file.
